Afterward
by penpanpen
Summary: Sequel of The Director of Arts and Culture. (This fic is currently under construction). Kiiro and Kyouya have followed their friends to Boston, here bonds strengthen and evolve and the craziness that became common occurrence at Ouran sticks with them throughout. Not that they would have it any other way.
1. Chapter 1

A.N. This story starts right where The Creative Type ends. I think that I may base this off of the 100 themes challenge, that sounds like a good idea, so, that means it will be a lot more random than before.

**Afterward: Chapter One: A Different Beginning!**

_Introduction._

'So close...' Kirro blushed. 'Do I...?'

Kyouya smirked as he kissed her neck again, "What's wrong Kir-?"

"Kyouya!"

Kirro jumped at the yell.

"Kyouya, what is the meaning of this?" Tamaki's voice yelled from the hallway.

"That idiot." Kyouya hissed. "I told him we weren't going to be able to make it today!"

"Kyouya, I'm coming in!"

"Shit."

Kirro jumped off of Kyouya's bed and pushed him down, "Pretend you're asleep." she smiled, throwing the blanket over him.

"Stop smiling, I'll get you eventually." he teased as she fixed her shirt.

"Kyouya?" Tamaki questioned opening the door to the living room and stomping to the bedroom. "Kyouya! This is the first free day we've planned and you go and send me a text like thi- Hello, Kirro." he blinked slowly.

"Good morning, Tamaki." Kirro greeted. "I think he's still asleep." she lied.

"Who the hell could be asleep with all that noise?" Kyouya glared at Tamaki.

"Oh, you are awake." Tamaki opened his phone. "Why did you send me this text?"

"Kirro and I were up late last night unpacking." he explained. "We didn't get three days to settle like you and Haruhi." he sighed.

"Still, don't you want to go exploring the city you're going to be living in for the next year?" he persisted.

"Not really." he raised an eyebrow.

"Where's your sense of adventure, Kyouya?" Kirro joined in, smirking. "You shouldn't spend all day in bed."

His glare flitted to her, "I wasn't going to spend all day in bed, I would definitely spend some time on the floor, against the wall, or any available surface, really." he smirked.

"What?" Tamaki cocked his head obliviously while Kirro turned bright red.

"He'll get ready and be right out, Tamaki, I'll make sure of it." Kirro smiled.

"Thank you, Kirro. See you later." he left.

"I can't believe you." Kirro said under her breath.

"I was just telling the truth." he chuckled, kissing her forehead. "Did you want me to lie?"

"You didn't have to say anything at all." she sighed.

"It's a small revenge for making me get up and go out today, when it's still obvious I wanted to do something else." he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her closer.

"Dream on, Kyouya." she said arrogantly and left quickly to get ready.

'This place looks familiar.' Kirro thought as they passed the same street again. "Ah, Tamaki, we're going in circles."

"Yeah, Tono, we're lost thanks to you!" the Twins huffed.

"We're not lost, we're just getting familiar with the block." Tamaki stated optimistically. "Wait, Kirro-senpai, America is your home, you should know where we are."

"I lived in southern California, boys, nowhere near here..." she raised an eyebrow.

"Kir-chan, were you a surfer~?" Hani looked excited. Mori listened intently."Never touched a surfboard in my life, Hani-senpai."

"Aren't we getting a little off topic?" Haruhi sweatdropped. "Where are we, anyway?"

While Tamaki and the Twins fought over what to do next Kirro sighed and said to Kyouya, "Should we tell them that we could just use our phones to find out where we are?"

"No, let them figure it out." he chuckled.

"You're so evil." she laughed. "Who said I was good?" he kissed her.

"W-what was that?" Tamaki screeched his eyes wide. "Kyouya and Kirro just...?"

"Yeah, Boss, apparently this has been going on for a while." the Twins shrugged.

"You didn't know, Tama-chan~?"

"It was kind of obvious, Tamaki-senpai..." Haruhi rubbed her head.

"Why wasn't I told about this?" he frowned.

"I didn't think you needed to know." Kyouya said simply.

"Sorry, Tamaki." Kirro apologized smiling.

They had ended up stopping in a cafe the fourth time they passed it."I have a feeling that we're going to be wandering around for a while." Haruhi sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Haruhi! Please forgive me!" Tamaki frantically apologized.

"We'll find our way back eventually, Tama-chan, don't worry!" Hani kept positive.

"We should just call a taxi." Hikaru suggested.

"Or ask for directions." Kaoru suggested.

"Or not let Tono lead..." they sighed.

"That's no fun! Men, don't you realize, this is a test of our courage!" Tamaki encouraged. "We will easily find our way home on our own!"

'Men and their pride...'

"We're not all that bad." Kyouya stated from next to Kirro.

"Please, Kyouya, if anything you're worse than him." she teased. "And, also, do you read minds?" she asked seriously.

"There's no way in hell I'm worse than that." he gestured to Tamaki, he ignored her question.

"You say that but..." she smiled.

"And, even if I was, you still seem to enjoy putting up with me." he cocked his head.

Kirro smirked, "Yeah, though I really don't have any idea why." she held his hand.

"I think I might have a clue as to why."

"Really? And what might that be?"

He just smiled.

Kirro wouldn't exactly admit it but she liked being in Boston more than Japan, she missed Ouran, she missed her family, but she did like it here. And, surprisingly, there really weren't many differences caused by moving to a different location. Well, except for one large thing. Openness. Kirro and Kyouya had been more intimate over time, though they had never really had any kind of defined relationship. In Japan, there were a few things that would have them keep this intimacy a secret. For one thing, there was the Host Club: Kirro didn't want to put off Kyouya's guests, and, well, they both understood that there were quite a few problems that the other members had, and adding any complications to that would be inconsiderate. But, here in Boston, it seemed that there was no reason to keep anything a secret anymore. They were free to hold hands or kiss in public whenever they wanted to. Kirro had to admit, she did kind of like that. And, Kyouya did, too.

"If you would just let us lead the way, this wouldn't be a problem." the Twins continued to argue with Tamaki.

"You don't know anything about Boston, you thought it was in the countryside!" King pointed.

"We know more than you!"

Kirro and Kyouya's smiles fell, she looked up at him with a pleading expression, "Fine, we'll help." he caved and opened his phone.

Kirro tried talking over them, "Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru...", they kept fighting, she frowned. "Boys!" she yelled.

They froze looking over at the girl with cautious expressions, "Y-yes, Kirro?"

"We could just use our phones to tell us where we are." she gestured to Kyouya, who revealed his phone's screen which had a map of the area on it.

"We are currently in the Eastern Blue Cafe, there are a number of places we could go from here which would fit your idea of 'fun'. There's a zoo, an arcade, and quite a few commoner shops, malls and supermarkets." he offered.

"A zoo?" Tamaki smiled.

"An arcade?" the Twins smirked.

"It's been a while since we've been to a commoner's supermarket~!" Hani beamed.

"Yeah." Mori nodded.

Haruhi sighed, "Thank you for shutting them up."

"No problem, Haruhi." Kirro smiled.

"You know, when you listed off all of the places we could go to..." Kirro sighed. "I didn't think they would want to go to all of them..."

"It's your fault for wanting to help them." Kyouya accused and yawned.

"I only wanted them to stop fighting." she admitted as they walked down the hall to their apartments.

"But, now that we're alone..." he smiled sleepily and pulled her past her door and through his.

"I thought I told you to dream on." she smirked as he pulled her to his bedroom.

"I don't see you putting up a fight." he chuckled and kissed her.

"To tell you the truth, I'm too tired to." she smiled.

He sighed, "That's no fun." he fell back on his bed.

"Sorry." she bent down to kiss his cheek.

He yawned again, "Well, it has been a long day..." he pulled her down to lie next to him. "I want a consolation prize." he turned to her, pressing his forehead to her's.

"What is it?"

"Sleep here."

She chuckled, "Well, compared to the actual prize...that's easy."

He grinned, "Hold on, I'll be right back." he got up and left the room.

"Wh-where are you going?" she sat up, she heard another door open. 'Is he going to my room?'

She went to get up, but, as quick as he had gone, he had come back again, "In this." he smirked and handed her something soft.

"Thi-this? This was just a prank gift from Margot... H-how did it get...?" her face was hot soft material was, in fact, a small, almost completely transparent dress that came to just past her belly button and matching pink shorts that were little more than underwear. She silently cursed Margot and whoever had packed these in her bags.

"I saw them while I was helping you unpack." he smirked and raised an eyebrow.

Kirro looked them over, "I-I guess I could... I mean, it's only for tonight right..."

'Why is it so warm?' Kirro thought as she woke up. 'Oh yeah...'

Her head was resting on Kyouya's arm and he had a hand resting on her back, their legs were tangled up together. They were face to face and he was still asleep. She was curled up with her hands against his chest. She smiled, 'This is actually very comfortable... But, what time is it...?' she tried to turn her head towards his alarm clock but Kyouya stirred. 'I don't want to wake him up...he looks too peaceful. And he's evil when he first wakes up.' she sweatdropped. 'But, I want to see what time it is...' she tried to turn away, but he moved her closer to him, running his free hand down her leg. Her face turned red, 'Even when he's asleep?' she raised an eyebrow. 'Is he smirking...?' In an instant he pulled her leg up on his hip and buried a hand in her hair, moving her lips to his.

"Kyouya?" she tried. "How long have you been awake?"

He chuckled, "A while."

"So you were just watching me sleep?" she tried wiggling out of his hold. "You're creepy." she laughed.

"You thought you were watching me sleep, so we're even." he reached over her and grabbed his glasses from the nightstand.

"Even. I didn't think that word was in your vocabulary." she propped herself up on one arm.

"I use it when it suits me." he smiled and looked over at her.

"W-what are you looking at?" she blushed as she remembered what she was wearing.

"You're always distracting me." he smirked.

She just looked away.

"No, I mean it." he kissed her again. "You're beautiful, Kirro."

She kissed him back.

"But, you know..." he ran his hands up her back, pulling off her top. "You look better without this on."

She pushed him over and got on top of him, "Stop it." she blushed. "You always get to be the one on top, but, this time, I want to win."

"And who says I would let you win?" he growled.

"Me." she unbuttoned his shirt and licked his torso.

"H-hey, that's-!" his eyes widened.

"So, are you going to let me win this time?" she chuckled.

He sighed and ran a finger down her jawline, "This time." he went to pull her closer but she had already hopped off of the bed.

"Got you." she laughed. "Now, Kyouya, we're not planning on going anywhere with anyone today, but, just in case, you should probably get ready. Wouldn't want anyone to see you like that, huh?" she stuck her tongue out.

"Kirro..." he began, but, he let her leave with a pleased expression on her face.

_Mischief Managed...Maybe and Love._

"Hm, what's this?" Kirro questioned as she help Kyouya unpack one of his last boxes. She had pulled out a familiar little black journal.

"It's nothing interesting." he took it from her and placed it in one of his drawers.

"That's that journal from Ouran, isn't it?" Kirro smiled. "What do you put in it, anyway?"

"Nothing interesting." he repeated, smirking.

'But, that doesn't tell me anything.'

"Put it out of your mind, Kirro." he read her mind.

She sighed, "I will."

"Promise?"

"Promise." she crossed her fingers.

Kirro sat in her living room, drawing. She was spaced out, so spaced out in fact, that she hadn't heard the Twins when they came through the door.

"Hey, Kirro-senpai, we wer-!" they noticed they hadn't gotten her attention yet. "Hey, Kirro-senpai." they tried again.

Nothing.

They shared a look, then looked back to her, "She really is gone." they waved their hands in front of her.

"Kirro-senpai!" they yelled in unison, one at each ear.

She jumped and spun around to face them, "What the hell, boys? When the hell did you get here?"

"A few seconds ago." Hikaru explained, leaning on her right shoulder.

"Yeah, but you were totally spaced out." Kaoru added, leaning on her left shoulder.

"What were you thinking about?" they grinned.

"It's not like that." her eyebrow twitched. "Actually, it was..."

"What?" they prompted.

"That notebook."

"What notebook?" they continued to prompt.

"The one that Kyouya used to carry around at Ouran."

"So he kept that?" Hikaru looked to Kaoru, shrugging.

"But, what about it?" Kaoru looked to Hikaru, shrugging.

"It's just..." she began. "...do you ever wonder...what's in it?"

Kaoru waved it off, "No, knowing Kyouya-senpai, it's probably just accounts of our old clients."

"But what if it's..." Kirro trailed off.

"A killing note?" Hikaru suggested, looking scared.

"Oh, come on, that's-" Kaoru was cut off.

"Exactly!" Kirro joined in. "Like in that manga!"

"That's a little over the top, even for Kyouya-senpai." Kaoru sweatdropped.

"Yeah." Kirro calmed down.

"Maybe you're right." Hikaru agreed.

"But, what if, right?" Hikaru and Kirro's eyes widened.

"You two are acting crazy."

"That's it, we have to find out what's in it!" Hikaru announced.

"I'm not, you two have fun." Kaoru left.

"But, Kaoru!" Hikaru tried.

"That's odd..." Kirro observed.

"What?"

"It's just, don't get me wrong, but, don't you two do everything together?"

"Yeah, but, now that we're growing up, we've decided that's it's okay to be separated more often. There are a lot of differences we have after all." Hikaru smiled.

Kirro grinned, "That was so mature of you, Hikaru!" she praised.

"So, this is our plan?" Hikaru asked.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Kirro raised an eyebrow.

"I just...thought it would be...more elaborate."

"It's plenty elaborate. We don't need it to be too complicated."

"But, it is Kyouya-senpai."

"Please, Kyouya may be Kyouya, but, if he's unsuspecting, he's just as easy to fool as anyone else."

Hikaru grinned, "And you know this from experience?"

"Now is not the time or place, little Hikaru." she patted his head. "Now, get going."

He sighed, "Fine." and stepped through to the hallway.

Kirro heard him knock on Kyouya's door, "Kyouya-senpai, Kyouya-senpai!"

"I'm coming... What?" she heard Kyouya ask.

"It's Tono. He's gone into some horrible kind of depression in the courtyard! You have to come see it! He won't budge at all!"

"That's normal, let the idiot be."

"No, you have to see, this one is bad!"

"Fine, fine, I'm coming."

She heard the footsteps disappear.

'Okay.' she made her way into Kyouya's living room. 'Now, all I have to do is remember which drawer it was.' she smiled and, on the third drawer, found the notebook. 'Practically out in the open.'

She opened it, but, the only thing written in it was on the first page, 'Got you.' it read.

"What? No way..."

"Kirro?" she heard Kyouya enter the room. "Curiosity killed that cat, you know."

"K-kyouya? But, you were-!" she stuttered turning and hiding the fake notebook behind her back.

"Oh, please, Hikaru was an unexpected surprise, but I figured it out halfway down the hall." he smirked.

"What do you mean?" she laughed nervously.

"You broke a promise to me, Kirro." he pushed her up against the dresser and took the fake notebook from behind her back. "That's not very nice." he chuckled.

Kirro sighed, "Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?" she tried.

"I could be...persuaded." he leaned down until they were face to face. "But, we both know the odds of that happening."

"I could try." she smirked. "Once you tell me what's in that damned notebook." she raised an eyebrow.

"That will never happen."

The door opened again, "Kyouya! You're not supposed to-!" Hikaru ran in. "Oh, Kirro, I probably should have warned you that he didn't buy it, right?" he grinned.

"Right." she took the opportunity to wriggle away from Kyouya. "Abort mission."

"Okay!"

They left Kyouya's room and vowed to try again another day.

Kirro heard the door open and sighed. She knew this was coming.

"Hello, Kyouya." she greeted from her bedroom door.

"You know, I was wondering what I was going to do to punish you and then I remembered something..." he leaned on the wall.

"What?" she met him halfway across the room.

He pushed her back against the wall and leaned down so they were face to face. With a smirk he whispered into her ear, "You're ticklish, aren't you?"

"N-no!" she tried to move but his hands met her sides and she doubled over laughing, trying to push him away.

He kept her against the wall, smiling.

"St-stop it, Kyouya!" she said between laughs.

"What's wrong? You just said you weren't ticklish, right?" he teased as she tried to keep his hands away.

"P-please, Kyouya!"

He sighed and paused, "Why should I? You broke a promise to me."

"B-because, even if it was a small one, I'm sorry." she tried and she kissed him.

When he pulled away he said, "I had already forgiven you, but..." his hands made their ways to her stomach.

"Ah!" she kept his hands away. "Wait, that isn't fair!" she smiled.

"Not fair? Why not?" he kissed her neck and laughed.

"Because I can't get you back." she kept pushing his hands away.

"Hm?" was all he said.

"Wait..." Kirro held his hands up. "You're not ticklish, are you, Kyouya?"

"What?" he smiled.

She tested her theory, gently tickling his sides.

Without a sound he pushed her hands away...and fell to the floor.

"You are!" Kirro bent over him laughing.

"You ever tell anyone, anyone at all, and I will kill you, Kirro." he smirked.

"Sure." she laid down next to him. "I promise I won't tell." she chuckled.

"And?" he prompted, rolling her over onto her back and hovering over her, holding her hands.

"And what?" she asked innocently.

He glared at her.

"Oh, about the notebook?" she blinked. "Oh, no, Kyouya, you're going to have to keep on your toes with that. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but, satisfaction brought it back."

"Fine." he sighed.

There was a pause.

"Kirro?"

"Yes, Kyouya?"

"I love you."

"I-I love you too, Kyouya." she blushed.

They kissed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Darkness in the Storm, Creation and 'Drink' Me.**

For as long as Kirro could remember, she has been afraid of the dark. Her insomnia just adds to the fear. She finds it hard to get to sleep and when she does get to sleep, it's not unusual for her to wake up in the middle of the night. Whenever she wakes up in the middle of the night, she panics. However, if she has a working nightlight on, or someone else is in her bed, she can go back to sleep easily. So, when Kirro woke up at around one o' clock in the morning and her nightlight was on, she was all ready to get back to sleep, and then a piece of paper rustled.

She looked over and next to her pillow was a note. Curiosity effectively peaked she sat up and turned on the lamp at her bedside.

'Kirro, I was dragged off by Tamaki with the Twins, Hani-senpai and Mori-senpai to visit some commoner stores that are open late. I'm not sure what time I'll be back- early if I murder him- but we decided to leave you and Haruhi here because you were both asleep, lucky you. -Kyouya.' Kirro couldn't help but laugh. "I really hope he doesn't kill Tamaki."

Kirro laid back down, but, it seemed that as soon as her head hit the pillow the lamp went out with the nightlight and her room was completely dark.

"What? Did the power go out?" she tried in vain to turn on the lamp. The familiar tight feeling formed in her chest and shoulders. "Not now..." she whined. 'It's okay.' she repeated in her head like a mantra. 'Soon, Kyouya will be home and everything will be fine. Or the power will turn back on. So, it's okay. Come to think of it, why did the power go out?' she tried to distract herself.

As if in answer, lightning struck and thunder cracked. Kirro nearly jumped out of bed. "It's okay, just a little storm." she whispered to herself clinging to her pillow. "Wait, a storm? Would Haruhi wake up during a storm? Of course she would, she's probably just as scared as me right now! How could Tamaki leave her alone when there was a storm coming? That idiot!" she shrieked. "Hold on, Haruhi isn't alone, I'm here. Dammit, why does it have to be so dark?" Kirro tried to get up but couldn't bring herself to put her feet on the ground. 'But, I have to see if Haruhi's okay!'

Kirro stood up on her bed, determined, took a deep breath and ran out of her bedroom, living room and into the dark hallway. She practically jumped up the stairs that led to Haruhi's apartment. She ran through yet another dark hallway to Haruhi's door. She tried to compose herself and knocked, pressed up against the door.

"Ha-Haruhi?" she tried, her voice small.

Thunder boomed and Kirro could swear she heard a small yelp from inside the apartment.

"Damn." she cursed under her breath. She opened up the door. "Haruhi, don't worry, I'm here." she tried to say calmly. Kirro was actually a little relieved, she wasn't alone either.

Haruhi sat in the corner of her living room, covered by her comforter, "K-Kirro-senpai?" she whimpered. "I had the-them out a mo-moment ago and now I-I can't f-find my earplugs..." There was a flash of bright white light, quickly followed by a crash of thunder. Haruhi shrunk back. Kirro's heart went out to her.

"Where were they last?" Kirro sat down in front of Haruhi, pulling the comforter up over her head to reveal teary brown eyes.

"In th-the nightstand by my bed." she shivered.

"I'll go find them, I'll be right back." Kirro recovered her and rushed into Haruhi's bedroom.

She went through the drawers in the nightstand but couldn't find any earplugs. 'Where could they be?' Lightning flashed and there was a loud crack of thunder. Kirro heard another yelp from the living room. Kirro had an epiphany, 'Okay, she said she had them out, maybe, they fell under the bed. Ah!' Sure enough, when she looked there were two little white earplugs under Haruhi's bed.

"I found them!" she ran back to Haruhi and put them in her ears.

It worked, whenever thunder boomed, Haruhi didn't freak out at all, and the blanket covered the flash of the lightning.

"Thank you, Kirro-senpai." Haruhi said once she had calmed down.

"You're welcome, Haruhi." she hugged her. "When Tamaki gets back, I'm going to kill him for leaving you all alone when there was a storm coming." Haruhi couldn't hear her, though, but Kirro didn't mind. She was contented with someone there to hold, it made being in the dark much easier. She smiled.

Kirro woke up when she heard Haruhi's phone ring, she hadn't even realized she had fallen asleep, or wandered into Haruhi's room, or gotten into Haruhi's bed, with Haruhi. 'I wonder what Kyouya would think?' she smiled.

Haruhi was still asleep, so Kirro picked up the phone, "Hello?"

"Kirro? Is Haruhi there? Is she alright? Is she frightened? Is she mad at me? Does she hate me? Will she ever forgive me?" Tamaki screamed.

"Ow, calm down Tamaki she's fine." Kirro sighed. "She's asleep right now. I don't think she's mad at you. I'm pretty sure she doesn't hate you. And I know she'll forgive you." she answered. "Just try not to leave her when a storm is coming ever again. You're lucky I just so happened to wake up just before the storm started up and the electricity went out."

"I won't! Thank you so much, Kirro! Even though it was dark! You're so kind! Thank you for taking care of my poor, scared Haruhi!"

"You're welcome, Tamaki, hurry back, alright?"

"Of course!"

Kirro hung up the phone with a smile, "How the heck did you ever get involved with that idiot, Haruhi?" she asked of the peacefully sleeping girl. 'Hold on... How did he know I was afraid of the dark?'

The next thing she knew, she was being carried down the hallway, "Hm? Where's Haruhi?" she tried.

"Asleep." she heard Mori say.

"Yeah~! She said that you helped her during the storm~!" Hani smiled. "Like a superhero~!"

"Hello, Hani-senpai, Mori-senpai." she looked up to see Kyouya carrying her. "Hey, you." she said poking him in the chest about and finding her way to his ear, she whispered. "How is it that Tamaki knew I was afraid of the dark?"

"I may have told him." he smiled.

She sighed, "It's fine. As long as the Twins don't find out."

"Oh, find out what, Kirro-senpai?" she saw the Twins stride up on either side of Kyouya.

She put a finger to her lips, "Shh. You didn't hear anything."

She heard and felt Kyouya laugh, "You really are tired, aren't you?"

"Umhm." she buried her face in his shirt.

"Then let's go to bed. Goodnight, everyone." he set her down so he could open the door. Then picked her up again as everyone said goodnight. "I'm sorry I wasn't here." he sighed, placing her on her bed.

"Hey, it's fine." she found her way under the covers. "To tell you the truth, I was so worried about Haruhi, I hardly noticed it was dark. But, um, is the power still out?" she asked timidly.

"Yes." he brushed the hair away from her face, smiling. "Don't worry, I'll go change and I'll be back. I'll spend the night here." he pretended to sigh.

"Kyouya, when are you ever reluctant to share my bed?" she smiled.

"Never." he kissed her forehead.

"Some things are born in beauty, some things are born in blood, but, the most stunning things are those that are born of beauty and blood."

"How?"

"Why, those things are created with your own hands, Alona."

A twelve-year-old Alona looked down at her paint stained hands, "I try to create something stunning...but, it never comes out right."

"That's because you have to have the right idea in mind."

"And, how do I get that, Mrs. Brendan?"

"You'll know once you find it." the art teacher smiled. "But, you have to go out and find it yourself."

"Oh."

Kirro scraped off the most recent piece on her canvas, 'Dammit, I've tried everything. Nothing's working. This is supposed to be my masterpiece...'

She had been working on the same canvas for almost eight months now, but there was still a great white patch left in the centerpiece of her painting. She sighed, 'What does it need?'

"Still working on that?" a voice from behind her asked.

"Yes, and you are still not allowed to see." Kirro stood up to obstruct Kyouya's view of her painting. She covered it up.

"Why?" he smirked.

"Because, I'm not done yet. But, as soon as it's done, you'll be the first one to see it." she smiled, as she went to wipe all of the paint off of her hands. "If I don't burn the thing first."

"Burn it? Really?" he raised an eyebrow. "You've been working on this for almost a year, why would you ever burn it?"

"Because I can't figure out what to add to it. That elusive last touch." she turned back to the covered painting. "The one thing I can't find..."

"Well, how about this, you don't burn anything and next time you're inspired you can add that last touch." he wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulders.

She sighed, dipping her index fingertip into a blot of green paint, "Sometimes it doesn't work like that." she poked him with the green fingertip, leaving a dot on his nose.

"Why did you do that?" he glared at her, he rubbed his finger in a dollop of red paint left on her paint palette, smearing the paint on her cheek.

She laughed, "Hey, that's not fair, I can't get away!" she covered her hand in yellow paint and grabbed his arm.

"That's it, do you want me to stain your shirt or your skin?" he held her around the waist with one arm and rubbed his other hand in the purple paint.

"Ky-Kyouya, let me go!" she grinned. "Aren't you at least going to give me a chance to defend myself?"

"I will show no such mercy." he laughed. "Shirt or skin?" he asked again.

"No." she whined.

"Skin then." he lifted her shirt up, smearing the paint on her stomach.

"Ah! Cold paint!" she shrieked trying to get away from him.

"Then you should have said shirt." he grinned evilly, getting paint all over her.

"I didn't pick skin, you did." she laughed as he began tickling her.

"You should have picked sooner."

"Damn you, Kyouya." Kirro tried rubbing the paint off.

"You should probably take a quick shower, we did agree to have tea with everyone." he smirked, earning her glare.

Kyouya knocked on Haruhi's door, "Haruhi, Tamaki, it's us."

"Ah, Kyouya, Kirro!" Tamaki opened the door smiling. "By the way Kirro, there's someone here to see you, I met them outside earlier!"

"What? Wh-"

"Alona?" a familiar voice asked. The voice belonged to one Mrs. Andre Brendan, a woman of about forty, with short, spiky brown hair and bright blue eyes. She stood, having ceased her conversation with the Twins.

"T-teacher?" Kirro's eyes widened. She turned as quickly as she could and ran down the hallway, getting as far away as she could.

"Kirro-senpai?" the Twins yelled after her.

"So, you're Mrs. Brendan." Kyouya confirmed. "I've heard quite a bit about you." he stood in the doorway.

"You're Kyouya Ootori." she sighed. "Likewise."

"What's wrong? Why did Kirro-senpai run away?" Haruhi asked.

"I saw it coming." Mrs. Brendan sighed again. "Expected it, actually."

"Why, exactly who are you?" the Twins said in unison.

"This woman is Kirro's old art teacher." Kyouya explained.

"Really, but why did Kir-chan run away from you?" Hani asked, confused, curious and a little worried. Mori nodded.

"Yes, wasn't it something you said?" Kyouya asked, already knowing why.

"What?" Tamaki asked.

"It's a long story." she replied, moving to walk out the door. "But, I'd like to go talk to her."

Kyouya casually shut the door, "We have time."

'Damn it, why did it have to be her?' Kirro walked around outside. 'I should have stayed there and talked to her, I shouldn't have run away.' she kicked at a couple pebbles, thinking back to her masterpiece in progress. Sighing she thought, 'Maybe I really should give up on being an artist...' she began her walk back to her room.

She thought back to her last day in school at Carroll Academy in Los Angeles, "Teacher!" Kirro smiled running into the art room. "It's the my last day here!"

"Really? Already?" Mrs. Brendan set down her cup of coffee. "I seems like just yesterday you said you were going to Japan!"

"I know the time has passed so quickly!" Kirro, then Alona, smiled. "And, I'm thinking about changing my name!"

"What to?" the teacher asked as Alona pulled up a stool to sit across from her.

"Kirro Toryo, it means yellow paint!"

"Really, that's a pretty name, but are you sure your okay with dumping the Harper name?"

"Yeah, I'll still be recognized as one of the daughters, though. So, Dad didn't see a problem with it." she pulled something out of her bag. "Oh, here, I painted you something, sort of like...a goodbye present!" she produced a rectangular something, covered by a cloth.

"To my favorite teacher, thanks for all of the help." Mrs. Brendan read the note attached and unwrapped it, revealing a picture of a small yellow apple and a large red apple sitting in a windowsill. "This...this is the last thing ever painted by Alona Harper?"

"Yeah, since I'm Kirro from now on." she beamed.

"It's kind of disappointing, isn't it?" the teacher laid it down on her desk.

"What?" she cocked her head.

"After all these years, four of them now, I've taught you, helping you tap into your potential, and it's still like this?" she sighed. "You still haven't found that right idea? You make your art out of blood, you do work hard. You've made art out of beauty, I've seen it. But, can you make something out of beauty _and_ blood?"

"I..." Alona started, trying to form an answer.

"If you can't, then you should give up on being an artist." the teacher sighed.

"I-I..." she stormed out of the room.

"And that was the last time I saw her...until now of course." Mrs. Brendan revealed. "And after all this time she is still my favorite and best pupil."

"Then why would you say something so mean?" Kaoru asked.

"Yeah, aren't teachers supposed to encourage their students?" Hikaru asked.

"It's because of how she was back then." she replied. "I don't know if she's still this way now but, Alona Harper was a quiet girl. It took her years to open up to people, and then she was only little more than an acquaintance to someone. She sat in the back of every class, looking out the window, not trying to make friends. She worked hard at what she made, and she always managed to produce something beautiful. But, all she ever wanted to do was to produce something stunning. I tried to help her, but, she never had the right idea for anything. She never found her right idea for that something stunning because she never looked for it. If she wanted people to be stunned all she had to do was open herself up a little to them. Isn't that right, Mr. Kyouya Ootori? But, she never tried. An artist expresses themselves in their art, she doesn't there is only a little bit of the artist in everything she does. Because she is afraid that people will reject her, she never reveals too much, even in her art. And, if you're unwilling to overcome your fears for your art, then you should give up being an artist." she sighed. "I work at an academy north of here, her mother keeps in touch with my wife and, when she told me Alona- no Kirro, sorry- was here in Boston, I just wanted to stop by and ask her if she ever found that right idea."

"So, you said that, hoping Kir-chan would come out of her shell a little?" Hani asked.

"What a touching thing for teacher to do for her student!" Tamaki and the Twins stated, little tears in their eyes.

"Touching?" Haruhi raised an eyebrow.

Kyouya quietly left the room. Wondering where Kirro had gone off to, 'I knew I should have went after her, but, I wanted to hear the story from her side. I have to admit, I still don't think she should have used those kinds of words when talking to a girl, but, I guess she was trying to help her, in some kind of weird way.' He went down the hallway to Kirro's door.

"Kirro? Are you in here?" he asked, "What are you...?"

She sat before the easel, canvas of the unfinished masterpiece before her. "I wanted to see if I could get the 'right idea'. It's like she said, I'm okay but not great, sure I can make something pretty but nothing stunning. Maybe I really should just give it up." she sighed, putting her clean brush away.

"I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding." Kyouya came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, closing his eyes. "Kirro, you've always been really shy. When I first saw you, do you know why I asked you to dance?"

"Kyouya, you knew I was a Harper daughter the moment you saw me." she answered.

"Yes, but, you forget, when I was seven I had this thing that others call compassion." he smirked at his own joke. "You were all alone and you were so panicked by being surrounded by so many strangers that your eyes were the size of dinner plates. So, I offered to dance with you."

"I think that's called pity." she corrected.

"Call it what you want. I found myself surprised when I got acquainted to you, this shy girl was rather interesting. If you really do want to stun people, if you open up to them, I'm convinced that you could do just that, even if you're only more open in your art."

She was silent for a long time, lying her head against his arm, which still had a faint yellow hand print, she sighed, "I...I think I know what my 'right idea' is."

He let her go, and sat down on the couch close to her, completely silent.

She picked up the paintbrush and ran it through the perfect domes of color, mixing to create the hues she desired, she made wide strokes and, after sometime, small dabs. And finally, she abruptly stopped, she looked confused and then she smiled, "I think it's done."

"Already?" Kyouya asked from the couch.

"Yes." she hopped up and over to him, pulling him over to the painting.

"Do I finally get to see it?"

"Yes." she turned him to it. "What do you think?"

The canvas was filled with a meadow of flowers, roses all white and black around the frame, and, then there was a circle of colored roses, their colors fluidly melding together, red, green, dark blue, pink, orange, light blue, purple, and, right at the center is the most recent part, a vibrant half-bloomed yellow rose.

"I think..." his eyes were wide.

"Wow." seven voices said in unison from the door.

"When did you...?" Kirro looked over at the rest of the group and her former art teacher. She shook her head, smiling, "Teacher, I'm sorry for running away earlier, it was rude of me."

"No, no, it's fine." she took a closer look at the painting. "You know, it really is stunning."

Kirro was smiling, and somehow she was also on the verge of tears, "Thank you, Teacher."

'This feels familiar, like we've done something similar to this.'

Alice sat up against the tree while her two sisters prattled on and on about what was more important in life.

"Passion!" her older sister, Margot, said. "If you have love and determination, everything is much brighter!"

"No, it's intelligence!" her younger sister, Aneleigh, said. "As long as you're persistent and smart, everything is much clearer!"

"Which do you think, Alice?" they asked her.

"I'm always in the middle with these kinds of arguments." Alice replied, pushing up her glasses on her freckle splashed nose yawning. "I'm quite tired, wake me up when your argument is done, won't you?" she asked.

The next thing Alice knew, she woke up in the same spot, still in her blue and white frilly-aproned dress, "Did they leave me?"

"It looks that way."

"What horrible siblings."

"I'd never ditch you, White Rabbit A."

"Oh, White Rabbit B."

Alice was extremely confused now at the scene before her. Two identical red haired boys with white rabbit ears were embracing each other.

"Hello?" she cocked her head.

"Hello, Alice." they said in unison.

"How do you know my name?"

"We're late!" they announced, turning and running at full speed. "Tono will be so mad!"

"Wait!" Alice stood up, running after them.

They jumped down a rabbit hole and she followed suit without thinking. 'Hold on, how big is this rabbit hole? And, should I really be following them? What was it Kyouya once said to me, curiosity killed the cat?' she lost her train of thought. 'What was I just thinking about?' She fell past many household objects, like jars of food and a bed. 'Where are all these things coming from?' she wondered.

She landed with a soft thud on a checker tiled floor, "You might think that would have hurt me more than it did. How deep is this rabbit hole? Where did those rabbits go?" she looked around for them. "No one, really?"

She glanced down at a rather small door, maybe the size of her hand, "Is that where they went? But, that's way too small!"

She sighed, "How am I supposed to get through there?" she turned around, seeing a table with a bottle full of a clear liquid sitting on it. It read 'Drink Me.' "Well this isn't marked poison, but, if this is another one of the Twins's pranks, I'll kill them." She looked down and saw a key, "Maybe this is for the door?" she slipped it into her pocket before taking a sip of the liquid.

Alice rapidly decreased in size, "Thank goodness my dress shrunk too!" She pushed up her tiny glasses, pulling the key out of her pocket and opening the door, behind the door sprawled a beautiful forest, filled with flowers, "Curiouser and curiouser!" she exclaimed.

"Well, isn't this lovely?" she smiled, "The flowers better not talk, though."

"Oh, they won't do that this time." a shadowy voice said.

"Hello?" she asked, looking for the source of the voice.

A black haired, bespectacled man with cat ears appeared before her, "Hello." he greeted, grinning.

"A talking pair of rabbits and now a cat, am I going mad?" she asked aloud.

"We're all mad here." the cat assured her. "Well, except for me, of course." his glasses shined.

"And, what makes you so sure of that?" Alice walked around him. "You're one of the craziest people I know."

"Hm, now that's odd." he materialized before, even as he walked he floated in front of her. "You said you knew me, how are you sure that we've met before?" he grinned.

"Actually, I can't remember ever seeing you in my life." she admitted continuing to walk. "It was probably just a slip of the tongue."

"Really?" he asked. Realizing she was still walking away from him, "Hold on!" he rematerialized before her again. "Would you like to dance?" he held his hand out to her, making her stop.

"What? Why?" she cocked her head.

"Well, isn't this how our first meetings usually work?" he asked.

"Sorry, I can't dance right now, I want to find those white rabbits so I can find out how they knew my name." she bowed in apology.

"Oh, everyone knows your name here, Alice." he grinned.

"Why's that?"

"Because you're a special kind of person to many of us here." he took her hand. "Especially myself." he kissed her hand. "The Cheshire Cat, at your service."

"Well, Cheshire Cat, can you tell me where I am?" she asked sweetly.

"You are currently in Wonderland, a country ruled by the Queen and King of Hearts." he answered.

"Oh, and how am I to leave Wonderland?"

"Leave Wonderland? Now, why would you want to do that?" he asked.

"Well, seeing as how I know why the white rabbits know my name, I don't have any reason to stay here." she explained.

"If you really want to leave, you'll have to talk to the Queen and King first." he grinned. "They hardly ever let any subjects leave, especially those as close to them as you."

"Close to them?"

"Of course, would you like me to escort you there?" he offered. "I wouldn't do it for free but..."

"Well, what is the fee then?"

"All in due time." he said.

"Well, okay, I guess I would need to be escorted seeing as how I don't know the way myself."

"Then, it's agreed?" he grinned.

"A deal with unknown payment? I don't see any other options. Yes, Cheshire Cat, we have a deal."

"Good." his glasses shined.

"To get to the castle, I'm afraid we're going to have to pass by The Mad Hatter's Tea Party." the Cheshire Cat stated once they were out of the forest.

"Is that a bad thing?" Alice asked him.

"Not nearly as bad as the last time." he answered. "I'm told there are new party goers."

"New party goers~?" a tiny voice asked. "Oh, it's the Cheshire Cat and Alice~!"

A little blond man in a large hat, sat at one of the chairs of a large set table loaded with cakes, beside him sat the March Hare, a pink stuffed bunny, and a tall sleeping Dormouse with black hair.

"Ah, Alice would you like some cake~?" the Mad Hatter asked.

"N-no thanks, Hatter-senpai." she smiled. "I'm on my way to meet with the Queen and King so I can go home."

"That's okay~!" he smiled. "But, are you really going to leave us~? Why would you leave us if you wanted to go home~?"

"Yeah." the Dormouse woke up and then fell right back asleep.

"W-well, I have to go home to my family."

"Why~? They gave you permission to stay here with us~."

"What are you...?"

"Excuse us, Hatter-senpai." the Cheshire Cat interrupted. "We really have to get going."

"Okay then, bye~!"

"Goodbye."

"You know, you're odd." the Cheshire Cat said to her.

"How so?"

"You knew Hatter-senpai was older than you, despite his young appearance."

"That...is a little odd, isn't it?"

"And, Dormouse-senpai, why do you think he was so tired?"

"Maybe...kendo practice?"

The Cheshire Cat just grinned.

"And, here we are." they stood before a giant castle. There were large hedges all around and billions of red roses bloomed. "I liked it better when they were painted black." he sighed.

"Thank you for escorting me." she turned to him before the gate.

"You're welcome, but, I'm not leaving you until I collect my fee." he told her as he followed her.

"Oh, right, may I ask what the fee is?"

"After you meet with the Queen and King."

"Alright then."

"Cheshire!"

"Alice!"

"What are you doing here?" the identical rabbits appeared. "Moreover, don't you think we should have been portrayed as the Hatter while senpai was the White Rabbit?" they whispered to the Cheshire Cat. "Her hair does want cutting." they said, holding up two long curly locks of Alice's hair.

"No, it doesn't, boys." Alice sighed.

"We're here because Alice wants to leave." the Cheshire Cat explained.

"What?" a booming voice nearly shook the castle.

"Uh oh, now you've done it." the rabbits wagged their fingers. "The Queen's angry."

A boy with blond hair and violet eyes came running out toward them, "How could you ever think of such a thing, Alice! You can't leave!" he yelled.

'So...this is the Queen?'

"I'm sorry, Tama- I mean, your majesty- but, I need to get home."

"Aren't you already home?" came a voice from behind him. The King came out, she had short brown hair and large brown eyes, she was about ten inches shorter than the Queen.

"Well, I-"

"If that was really what you wanted to do, then I wouldn't oppose you, but, I want you to explain yourself!" the Queen declared.

"You see, without me around, my mother and father and siblings would worry, so I have to go back."

"Yes, but, they gave you their permission to come here and stay with us!" the Queen refuted.

"But, there's nothing I have here."

"Actually, Alice, you have all of us, everyone you met." the King corrected.

"But, I just met them."

"Really?" the Queen asked. "Then, how did you know so much about all of us?"

"Know so much?"

The Queen snapped, "Cheshire."

The Cheshire Cat sidled up next to Alice, "When drinking the Le Getsmaller you commented on the Twins's tendency to prank others. you knew Hatter-senpai was older than you, and guessed that Dormouse-senpai was tired because of kendo practice, you knew the Queen's first name and were not surprised by our cross dressing King like you were with our cross dressing Queen. And then of course, there was your remark about myself being one of the craziest people you know." he pushed up his glasses, grinning.

"But, how did I?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Kirro, won't you stay?" the Cheshire Cat asked.

"My name is..." she looked surprised. "Yes, I will stay."

'Both of my sisters were wrong, the most important thing is having somewhere to belong, where people accept you, even if you're curiously odd.'

As soon as they were alone in the corridor that lead to Alice's room in the castle, the Cheshire Cat said, "And know, my payment."

"Of course, I-"

He kissed her, softly and then harder while she kept her eyes wide. Then, as she began to recognize the familiar feel of his lips, she kissed back. He licked at her lips, and she permitted him entry, exploring her mouth hungrily. He pushed her back against the wall, growling and grinning. He kissed down her neck to her collar bone, holding her hands behind her with one hand. His other hand ran its way down her waist to her hip, she gasped as he bit the nape of her neck. He loved making her squirm, he continued biting up her neck and licking up her jawline to her ear, "I warned you about trying to leave me." he growled.

He opened the door to her room, locking the door behind him. He stood, looking her over with a wicked grin and she blushed but took a step closer to him. She ran a hand through his hair and a finger down his chest. He smirked as she unzipped his jacket and he let it fall to the floor, his tank top soon followed, she pushed him onto her bed. She began licking, sucking and biting his skin as he groaned in pleasure. She smiled as he mewled when she rubbed her fingers over his nipples. She ran a finger down to his pants and he grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her down and pushing himself over her.

He pulled the straps of her dress down until her breasts were revealed, and he grinned evilly. He took one nipple into his mouth, sucking. And she nearly yelped. He massaged the other breast roughly, causing her to pant.

"Ky-Kyouya..." she moaned

"What?" Kyouya asked of Kirro as she moaned his name before snapping her eyes open. "Kirro?" he grinned.

"Y-yes?"

"What on earth _were_ you dreaming about?" he asked her as she blushed bright red.

"I-I..." she tried to get off of his bed.

"Why don't we make those dreams come true?" he pushed her down, getting on top of her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Family, and a Kind of Puzzle.

Kirro sighed, staring up at her living room ceiling. She was laying on her back, arms out, palms up, phone open on her stomach.

Kyouya opened the door that connected their apartments, "Kirro, it's- What are you doing?"

"Laying here." she said in monotone, sighing again.

"Why?" he inquired.

"No reason." she lied.

He raised an eyebrow and stood next to her head before getting down on his hands and knees, they were face to face but upside down, "Why?" he asked again.

She sighed again, "Because I'm a horrible person." she admitted.

"What? How are you a horrible person?" he smiled.

"I forgot to call Aneleigh yesterday!" she frowned, running her hands through her hair, covering her face. "I call her every Friday and I forgot!"

"So you missed one day, I'm sure if you called her and apologized she wouldn't be mad." he smirked.

"No, that's just what I was going to do. But, she won't pick up!"

"Maybe she couldn't make it to the phone."

"I called her twelve times!"

"Oh, then maybe she is mad." he sat up, saying it simply.

"Aw!" Kirro rolled over on her stomach, clutching her phone to her breast. "I knew it, I'm a horrible person!" she said to the ground.

"You're not a horrible person. Kirro, please stop acting so pathetic, you're beginning to remind me of Tamaki." he told her.

"How can I not be pathetic, I'm a horrible person, I'm a horrible big sister! I bet Aneleigh wishes we weren't related! I bet she wishes she had a better big sister!" she said melodramatically.

"Is it really that big a deal? You can call her later and apologize."

"She'll never answer...she hates me."

"How do you know she hates you if you haven't talked to her?" he got no response from her. "Kirro? Please stop being so dramatic." he sighed when he got no response. "Fine, I'm going to meet Tamaki and the others. You should come with me." no response. "I'm going, now." he walked over to her door. "I mean it, right now." he turned before leaving. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

"Yeah." she said quietly.

He sighed, leaving without another word.

...

"Kyouya!" Tamaki opened the door. "Hel-that's odd." he stopped in his tracks, looking down the hallway.

"What?" Kyouya cocked his head.

"Usually Kirro's with you."

"Not this time, she's too busy sulking."

"Sulking?" the Twins's voices came from behind Tamaki. "Isn't that usually Tono's bit?"

"Oh, come on, I don't sulk tha-"

"Yeah, he does do that quite often." Kyouya stated.

Tamaki went straight to the corner.

"So what is she sulking about?" the Twins stood on either side of Kyouya.

"She's convinced that her younger sister hates her."

"Aneleigh?" Haruhi walked in on the conversation. "Why would she think Aneleigh hates her?"

"She calls Aneleigh every Friday, and she forgot to yesterday. She tried calling her earlier, twelves times, and Aneleigh didn't pick up once." he sat down on the couch next to Hani, who was shoveling forkfuls of cake in his mouth.

"If it's a sibling problem, we can help." the Twins leaned on the couch.

"After all, we know how horrible it can be when two siblings are fighting." Kaoru said, looking to the side sadly.

"All that matters is that we're together now, Kaoru, I won't ever hurt you again." Hikaru said, placing his forehead to Kaoru's, completing a slightly rare act of twincest.

"We don't go to club anymore, do you really have to keep doing that?" Haruhi sweatdropped.

"Fine." they snapped out of their skit. "But, really, fighting your sibling sucks."

"Yeah, whenever Chika and I fight, I always feel bad afterward." Hani admitted.

"Except for the time you won against him back at Ouran." Haruhi said under her breath, remembering the 'Chika incident'. "What kind of relationship does Kirro have with her siblings, anyway?"

"Well, her older sister, Margot really isn't that close to her, their characters are extremelydifferent. And, her brother, Finn, is a little too young for her to have anything other than a maternal older sister relationship with. But, Aneleigh's a bit different. They're more alike than any of the siblings, and born only a year apart. Aneleigh was one of the first people Kirro was able to communicate with, so they're naturally very close."

"That's it, men- and my Haruhi-!" Tamaki stood up for his corner in an immediate mood change. "We have to help, Kirro! You said it yourself, Kyouya, they're very close! Even if they're on opposite ends of the world right now, we can't let them part!" Tamaki leaned on the arm of the couch, pointing at Kyouya.

Kyouya pinched his hand, "You didn't let me finish." Tamaki pulled his hand back, holding it to his chest while biting his lip. "They're very close, but, I think Aneleigh is trying to get used to Kirro not being around, and, perhaps she's also trying to get Kirro used to being away as well. She was always trying to get Kirro to step out of her comfort zone, to explore the world and make actual friends. I think we should just let this one run it's course, Tamaki."

...

Kirro's heart jumped when Aneleigh picked up on the phone the forty-third time, "Aneleigh! I'm so sorry for not calling you yesterday! It just slipped my mind! Not that I wasn't thinking about you, sissy! I really was, I promise! I just somehow forgot to call!" all of her words ran together at once, trying to apologize over and over again.

"Hey, Kirro, calm down." Aneleigh said in a small voice. There was a long pause. "Yesterday when you didn't call me, I was so sad..."

"I'm so sorry, sissy!" Kirro paced wildly around the room.

"But! I was also so happy!" her sister continued. "You know, when we were really little, Margot had it easy, she made friends in moments. I was always good at it...but, you... I was afraid for so long that you would never have any friends..."

"But I've always had you sissy, even before I met Kyouya!" Kirro stopped. "You were the greatest friend I could have ever asked for."

"Yes, exactly, I was." she sighed. "But, now that we're older, you have to get used to being less dependent on me."

"What?" she fell back on her couch, figure slumped, confused.

"You don't need me anymore. We can still be friends, but, you have to pay attention to your other friends more."

"I do! It's you I've been neglecting! I mean, I live with my friends!"

"Exactly, so you need to spend minimal amounts of time with me. We can't talk on the phone for hours and you can't message me every day. Spend way more time with your friends!"

"I spend plenty of time with my friends!"

"Really? Does that mean that they're there right now?"

"Well...no."

"Not even Kyouya?"

"No."

"Sheesh, some girlfriend you are."

"H-hey I-"

"So hang up the phone already and go have fun with them!"

"But, Aneleigh, I-" she pouted.

"Bye, sis!" Aneleigh hung up.

'So that's... What am I doing?' she sighed and got up, walking briskly to Tamaki's room.

"Hello?" she knocked on the door.

The door was wrenched open, "Kirro! You poor girl! We heard it all, you must miss your sister terribly!" Tamaki hugged her.

"Gah! Tamaki, can't breathe!" she squirmed.

"Ah! Sorry!" he released her from his death grip. "But, really-!"

She shushed him, "Hey, it's okay. I finally got my sister to answer her phone and everything is okay. But, she doesn't want me to call her every Friday anymore..."

"Eh? Why is that, Kirro-senpai?" Haruhi asked.

"She wants me to stop clinging to her." she sighed. "So, I came here."

Kyouya smiled, "Told you."

Tamaki just laughed.

...

"Twister~?" Hani asked. "What's that~?"

"It's a game we bought the last time we visited a commoner's supermarket!" the Twins smiled, presenting the game. "We thought we could have a tournament!"

"No way, boys!" Kirro was the only one to recognize the game. "You're just trying to get everyone in awkward positions!"

"What, no way, Kirro-senpai!" they lied. "It looked like fun, so we bought it!"

"It does kind of look like fun..." Tamaki pressed a finger to his chin.

"Can we play~?" Hani asked.

"Well, if we did play, we'd need to see it done first." Hikaru began.

"And only Kirro-senpai recognized the game." Kaoru added.

"No way, I'm definitely not playing that game." Kirro crossed her arms.

"Maybe she can't play." Hikaru said.

"It's a shame." Kaoru said.

"We just thought you were good at this game, Kirro-senpai." they tried.

"You can try the pride trick but it won't work." she smiled, winning.

"Please, Kir-chan~?" Hani gave her puppy-dog eyes.

'Dammit.'

"Okay, give me the box." she held her hands out for it. Once she had the box, she removed the lid and produced a mat with four differently colored rows of dots and a spinner. She laid the mat down, and handed the spinner over to Hikaru. Putting one foot on a yellow circle and the other on a blue circle. "There can either be two or three players at a time, you start like this." she gestured to her feet. "And then someone spins the spinner." she gestured to Hikaru, who followed the instructions. "And they tell you your next move."

"Right hand on red." he read.

Kirro crouched putting her right hand on a red circle, "It's easy. See? And, say I had my left hand on blue and left hand on blue was called again, I would have to find a different circle. You cannot touch the mat with an elbow or knee, it is an automatic elimination, like if you were to fall. However, if you can do it without moving your hands and feet from their designated colors, you can make a player lose their balance." she smiled.

"So let's see you play a round!" Tamaki pointed to her.

"Fine." she looked around the room, choosing her opponent. "Haruhi, would you like to try?" she held her free left hand out to the girl.

"Well, I...guess that's okay." she stepped over onto the mat. Putting her right foot on yellow and her left on blue opposite Kirro.

"Hikaru, if you would tell Haruhi her next move?"

"Okay...left hand on yellow."

Haruhi crouched, following directions.

"Kirro-senpai, right foot on green."

Kirro bent one leg over the other, placing the correct foot on the correct color.

'This game always starts out innocently...' Kirro sighed. 'But, then it gets worse.'

Lo and behold, soon enough Kirro had to loop her leg around Haruhi's, which made their positions worse. Haruhi had her left hand and left foot on blue both next to each other so she was bending her knee, her right hand on yellow, and her right foot on green with her back downward. Kirro however had just put her right foot on green, making her have to loop the leg around Haruhi's right leg, her left leg on blue, her left hand on yellow one circle above Haruhi's right hand and her right hand on blue, her arm just inches from the side of Haruhi's face. This meant Kirro was hovering over Haruhi, their bodies only centimeters apart. Kirro had to admit, though, she was doing this a little purposefully, she was using Haruhi, hoping to make Tamaki realize how bad this 'tournament' idea was. Would he be okay with Haruhi playing this game with other boys, especially the Twins? Or maybe she was trying to make an appeal to Kyouya, hoping he would stop the game at any moment, pulling her away from Haruhi and telling her not to play any more. Sadly, both boys just sat spectating the game, looking interested.

"Haruhi, right foot on red." Hikaru and Kaoru announced.

"But I can't..." she tried moving her foot. She lost her balance falling to the mat, pulling Kirro down with her. "Sorry, Kirro-senpai." she apologized.

Kirro landed with her hips between Haruhi's legs, "It's okay, Haruhi, since we're both girls." Kirro stood up. Hoping that her last comment had made an impact on Tamaki, who would definitely call off the tournament now, right?

Wrong.

"Ah, it looks like Kirro beat you Haruhi." he helped her up.

"So, if that's all you'll be needing..." Kirro went to leave.

"Where are you going, Kirro-senpai, you won!" the Twins stopped her. "This means you're still in the running for Twister Champion!"

"Twister Champion, huh? Not exactly a title I desire, boys."

"Oh, come on, the game is harmless." Kyouya put a hand on her shoulder. "I wouldn't be playing if it wasn't." he smirked.

"Kyouya's playing?" Tamaki asked in a state of shock.

"We'll put your name in the hat then." Kaoru placed another slip of paper into a baseball cap.

"Ready to draw out the next match?" Hikaru peered over his brother's shoulder.

Kaoru pulled out two slips of paper, "Hikaru and...Kyouya-senpai." he read.

"Okay, so I'm up." Hikaru stood opposite of Kyouya, feet in position.

Kirro spun the spinner and Kaoru announced, "Left hand on yellow, Hikaru!"

Kaoru spun and Kirro announced, "Kyouya, right foot on green."

Kyouya was careful for round, though at almost every one of his turns Hikaru tried to make it as uncomfortable as possible. Kyouya found the oddest ways to avoid getting too close to the Twin and somehow still kept his balance. He also took every available chance to try and make Hikaru lose his balance, moving the mat when he could, taking all of his places closer together when possible to make sure that the Twin had to stretch out and jeopardize his balance. This continued for about ten minutes until Kaoru spun the spinner and Kirro said, "Left foot on yellow, Kyouya." As Kyouya did just that he moved his leg closer to the back of Hikaru's knee, causing the Twin to bend his knee a bit more, touching it to the mat.

"Ah, Hikaru, you lost!" Tamaki yelled laughing.

"What? No I didn't Tono."

"Yes, you did." Kyouya smirked.

"It's your knee, little Hikaru!" Kirro smiled, crouching so she was eye level with him.

"What?" he looked to his knee. "Aw!" he frowned, standing up. "That sucks!"

"It's okay, I'm still in the running, Hikaru!" Kaoru said. "We can still win, technically."

Kirro held out the hat, and Kaoru pulled out two of the remaining four slips of paper, "It's Tono and...me!"

"It's about time!" Tamaki jumped up, hopping onto the mat. "I'm going to be the Twister Champion!" he cheered.

"Keep dreaming, Tono!" Kaoru put his feet on the proper colors.

"Right hand on red, Tama-chan~!"

This game was full of Tamaki's chatter, "This is a wonderful game!" "You're never going to beat me, Kaoru!" "Look how close I am to the mat!" "I wonder if I look like a noodle like this?", Tamaki tried to do a bunch of weird poses, even if he almost lost his balance a number of times. Kaoru was just trying to keep away from him, afraid to get caught up in some weird pose. Needless to say, Tamaki wound his arms and legs around themselves one too many times, falling with a thud onto his side. Kaoru shot upwards, "I thought that was going to take forever!" he laughed before sticking his tongue out at the sulking blond. "I did it! I beat you, Tono!"

"How could I have lost?"

"Maybe if you hadn't tried so many odd poses..." Haruhi pointed out.

"But they were so fun!" he laughed, sitting up.

"Who's next~? Who's next~?" Hani ran up looking into the hat hat Kaoru held.

"Hani-senpai, there are only two slips of paper left..."

Hani waited for his answer.

"Would you look at that, it's Hani-senpai versus Mori-senpai..." Kaoru hadn't even looked at the papers.

"Okay, Takashi, let's play the Twister Game~!" Hani jumped onto the mat across from Mori, determined.

"Alright, Mitsukuni."

"First, Mori-senpai, left hand blue."

Mori reached down, and fell.

'...'

"Yay~! I win~!" Hani jumped up, cheering.

Mori stood up and took his seat on the couch, smiling.

"Okay..." Kaoru put four slips of paper back into the hat, "Next up is, Kyouya-senpai and Hani-senpai, again."

Kyouya quickly got up, taking his place on the mat.

"This is fun~!" Hani put his little legs on the circles of color. "Okay, Kyou-chan, I'm not going to let you pull any dirty tricks~!" he announced, pointing at Kyouya.

"We'll see about that, Hani-senpai." Kyouya smiled evilly.

"Hani-senpai, right hand yellow."

The match really was a long one. Whenever Kyouya tried to inconspicuously make Hani lose his balance, Hani would make it to where Kyouya could no longer move in a certain way without losing his own balance. After quite a bit of this, Kyouya gave up. Finally beginning to play fair. And, after a while, Hani's head started bobbing sleepily.

"Eh? Tono, what time is it?"

"It's about four o' clock, why?"

"Isn't it about time for Hani-senpai's nap?"

Almost on cue, Hani collapsed onto the mat, half asleep. Mori stood and scooped him up, "Mitsukuni, it's time for your nap." after saying goodbye, they left. Kyouya stood up, smirking.

"That match was going to take forever!" Hikaru said.

"Maybe it's a good thing that Hani-senpai was tired." Kaoru added.

"Hey, this time it's Kaoru and Kirro-senpai, right?" Haruhi asked.

"And whoever wins will get to go against me." Kyouya commented.

"Should I just give up now?" Kirro asked.

"Oh, that's no fun, Kirro-senpai!" Kaoru whined. "Don't you want to be the champion?" he stood on the mat.

"No."

"But, you could be the winner." he tried.

There was a pause, "Fine." she stood opposite him. She didn't want to go against either of the Twins, but, at least it was Kaoru. So, it would hopefully be slightly less horrible than going against Hikaru.

Hikaru spun the spinner, "Kaoru, left leg green."

Thankfully, Kirro was able to avoid any awkward positions for the first half of the game. Her right hand on yellow, her left hand on red, her right foot on yellow and her left foot on blue. Her knees were bent, keeping her back off of the ground, arms almost behind her back. Kaoru had everything on green, forming a kind of line.

"Kaoru, right foot on red."

And that's when it got awkward. Kaoru lifted his leg and swung it over Kirro's hips allowing the foot to land on red, smiling.

"Alright, Kirro-senpai, right hand on yellow."

She pulled her hand back one circle.

"Kaoru, right hand on blue."

Kaoru leaned on his right leg, bending his arm under Kirro's back.

Kyouya looked over Hikaru's shoulder, making sure he was giving the right instructions.

"Hello, Kirro-senpai." Kaoru laughed.

"Hello, Kaoru." she replied, rolling her eyes.

"Kirro-senpai, right hand blue."

Kirro put her own hand behind her back, pushing herself closer to Kaoru.

Kyouya took the spinner from Hikaru, "Kaoru..." he sighed. "left hand red."

Kaoru stretched his arm, aiming to put his hand on one of the blue circles next to Kirro's head. His fingers brushing past her neck.

"Kaoru, you probably shouldn't-"

Kirro squirmed, bumping her hips into one of Kaoru's legs.

"-touch her neck. Or not." Kyouya finished his mild warning too late.

Kaoru lost his balance and fell, quickly hopping up and off of Kirro, "Kirro-senpai! That's not very fair! You bucked me off the mat!" he whined.

"My hands and feet were still on the right circles. So, technically it was fair. And besides, it was a subconscious reaction!" Kirro sat up, smiling.

"And then there were two..." Kyouya smirked.

"Oh man, Kirro-senpai versus Kyouya-senpai?" Haruhi's eyes widened.

"I've never seen them compete against each other." Tamaki marveled.

"Dammit, I forgot about that." Kirro pressed a finger to her chin. "Can't I just concede defeat?" she whined.

"No." he pulled her onto the mat.

In that precise moment Kirro saw exactly why he was playing this game. She blushed, allowing him to take his place opposite her.

"Okay, I guess whoever wins this one...is going to be Twister Champion!" the Twins announced. "Ready, set...Kyouya-senpai left hand blue!"

Kyouya stared at her, smirking the entire time. He analyzed each move she made. Carefully assessing the situation and acting accordingly. Though, the actions were a bit odd.

When he went against Hikaru and Hani, the entirety of the matches consisted of him trying to topple the others. But, as things were going, Kirro had felt not even the slightest move towards the sabotage of her balance. Kirro had noticed that Kyouya was taking in every inch of her body, every slight shift in position.

Kirro was trying to keep away from him, and, oddly enough, he continued to let her choose the farthest circles. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, he chose a circle that would press his chest against her back rather than turn his back to her.

She heard his chuckle in her ear, "Would you look at this..." without turning she could tell he had a smirk.

She wished he would at least consider that there were other people in the room, and that all of their attention was on them.

She was half crouched, her right leg on yellow and her left leg outstretched for a red circle. Her arms were stretched farther apart, her left hand on yellow and her right hand on red bent slightly.

He was wrapping his arms around her torso, both hands on blue. His legs on yellow and red. But, even if they were so close, he didn't exactly have to press himself so closely to her. And, she hoped the others didn't notice this, but, he was pressing against her a little harder than he needed to.

"Quit it, you're going to make me fall." she whispered.

"That's half of the point."

"Kirro-senpai, right hand on green."

Kirro stretched, placing her hand on the opposite end of the mat. She had to put most of her weight on her right foot, shifting her hips. She heard the tiny growl from Kyouya's throat as she did so.

"Kyouya-senpai, right foot red."

Kyouya moved his foot up two circles. Angling his hips upward, so he was half-standing. His mouth was now just inches from her neck. She felt his breath against her skin. She tried not to move.

"Kirro-senpai left foot-"

Kyouya purposefully blew on a certain spot on her neck.

She couldn't help but wiggle. She shifted her weight to her right foot, accidentally brushing her hips against his.

He went wide-eyed and his hands slipped out from beneath him. He fell on top of her. She couldn't move, her legs pinned to the mat by his and her hands under her chest. She whined at the heated flare that ran through her stomach and showed on her cheeks.

"That wasn't very graceful, Kyouya-senpai." Hikaru commented.

"But, Kirro-senpai had her hands and feet on the right circles." Kaoru added.

"Which means Kirro-senpai won!"

"You won, Kirro-senpai!" Haruhi smiled.

"Kirro, you're the Twister Champion!" Tamaki laughed.

"Kyouya..." Kirro fidgeted.

He got up quickly, pushing his glasses up.

"I'm actually kind of surprised that you lost, Kyouya!" Tamaki patted him on the back.

"Yes, well, it was a silly game-" Kyouya began.

"Silly game?" Kirro chuckled. "Are you going to be a sore loser now?" she asked, poking him in the chest.

"No." he grabbed her hand. "We're going home now. Goodbye, everyone!" he dragged her out of Haruhi's apartment, leaving everyone confused.

"Kyouya, what are you doing? Are you really that torn up about losing?" Kirro tried to keep pace with him. He pulled her through the hallways until he opened the door to his apartment. "It's your fault you lost, you know." she smiled. "You're the one that blew on my neck. Kyouya, why were you playing, anyway?"

He was holding her hands at shoulder height, smirking, "I was playing for the exact same reason that I'm regretting it now." He let go of one of her hands, resting it on her hip, "I was just curious..."

"Curious about what?" she tried, placing her free hand on his shoulder.

"I just wanted to see...exactly how you bend." he grinned.

Kirro blushed a bright red, trying to get out of his grasp, "Wh-why?"

"No particular reason." he lied, kissing her. "No particular reason at all."

"Y-yeah, sure, like I'm going to believe that!" she backed up, stopping at the arm of the couch. "You're such a pervert, Kyouya!"

He smiled following her, "There may be a bit of truth to that." he pushed her until she was lying down on the couch.

"Ah, you admit to it!" Kirro smiled allowing him to hold onto her hands again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Silence, Keeping a Secret, Dream, and Multitasking.**

Kirro blushed every time she woke up next to Kyouya in bed, they still hadn't been intimate, Kirro liked this word best, but she still blushed every time. Every choice once in a while he was awake before her but, most times she always woke up first. She never wanted to wake him up either, so she stayed quiet and still.

Kirro had her arms pressed against his chest. Kyouya's left arm was under her pillow and his right arm was resting around her waist. Their legs were wrapped around each other. Her head was pressed up against her hands which were now flat against his chest and she had a smile on her face. His hair was only slightly out of place, even in sleep and she could make out the beginnings of a smirk.

Her favorite thing about Kyouya while he slept, he was very warm. Which made it hard for her not to go back to sleep. And, he was always so close to her, 'Which is always nice.' she smiled.

She rested her forehead against his chest, and he, being the hypotensive evil lord that he was upon waking, growled. She froze, anticipating the worst but instead he just grabbed one of her hands and brought it to his lips, kissing her fingers.

She chuckled, "Good morning, Kyouya." she whispered. He bit her index finger, "Ouch, why did you do that?" she tried pulling her hand away but he held on, pressing the hand back to his chest. She felt his sleepy heartbeat.

He smirked, "Just...be quiet...for a while..." he told her and she obliged him his request.

They rested there between the blankets for quite a while in silence. It wasn't awkward, just calm. 'It's really peaceful...' she smiled, as he wrapped one arm around her waist and one around her head. Each tiny movement was a different form of communication. Kirro liked being right where she was.

...

"Haruhi, Kirro-senpai, we're bored." the Twins whined, sitting down on the floor in front of the two girls seated on Haruhi's couch.

"So, why'd you come here?" Haruhi sighed, slightly annoyed that the Twins always came in unannounced.

"You're the only one who agrees to play games with us anymore!" Hikaru explained.

"Well, you and Kirro-senpai." Kaoru corrected.

"And since the both of you are here then it's like fate wants you to play a game with us." they said in unison.

"I'm not playing any games with the two of you, not after the Twister Incident." Kirro poked the Twins's foreheads.

"But, we thought you had fun, Kirro-senpai?" they smiled wickedly.

"Be quiet." she glared at the meaning behind their words.

"But, if you don't play with us, then, what are we going to do?" the Twins pouted.

"Kyouya's ticklish." Kirro stated simply.

"Really?" the Twins went wide eyed and, with matching devilish grins, they ran out of the room.

"Why did you tell them that?" Haruhi asked confused.

"I'll regret it later but, it gets them out of my hair for a while." the older girl smiled.

"You really are a demonic queen." she laughed.

"I have to be to be able to handle Kyouya."

"It makes sense."

"But, now I can't really help but wonder what will happen when I go home today. Kyouya will probably be really mad. Also, little Haruhi, don't tell Tamaki about this. It would just be more trouble." Kirro chuckled, patting Haruhi's shoulder.

"Okay, Kirro-senpai."

And with that they resumed their previous conversation.

...

"So, you have a death wish, do you?"

Kirro froze as she entered her apartment. It was dark outside and the only light she could see was the small lamp next to her couch, so it was the perfect atmosphere for a visit from the Shadow King. Said Shadow King leaned up against the wall across the room from her, his eyebrow raised over a slightly murderous glare, his arms crossed.

"What do you mean, Kyouya?" she shut the door, half wanting to just turn around and run out of the apartment complex and half wanting to stay to see what was going to happen.

"The oddest thing happened to me today." he began, slowly crossing the room, one long stride at a time.

"Really?" she smiled faintly, turning sideways so she could get out of his path.

He continued to follow her, still taking slow steps, "I was sitting at my desk, minding my own business, when the Twins come in."

"Oh, that's interesting." she quickened her pace, but he grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her from escaping.

"Yes, but, then they started tickling me."

"That's mean, why would they do that?"

He ignored her question, "The odd thing is, how did they know I was ticklish?"

She tried to pull herself away from him, but he pulled her back, wrapping his arms around her, pressing his chest to her back. She let out a tiny yelp. He chuckled, resting his head on her shoulder.

"I could have sworn that you were the only person who knew." he let one arm free, grabbing her chin and forcing her to face him.

She closed her eyes, trying to get out of his grasp.

"Kirro, look at me." he ordered. "How could they have known?"

"L-lucky guess?" she tried.

He laughed darkly, pushing her up against the door to her bedroom, turning her so they were face to face, "What am I going to do to punish you?" he ran his tongue up her neck.

"Why don't you just kill me and get it over with?" she offered.

He rested his hands on her hips, keeping them still, "No, that would be too easy." he laughed, running one finger down her jawline. "Well, there is something I would like to do."

She whined as he unbuttoned her shirt, she pressed up against him as he pulled it off of her arms. He smirked, pushing her back up against the door. She blushed feeling hot all over when he leaned down, kissing her neck while running a hand up her back and unclasping her bra. He brought it down her arms, exposing her breasts. This time he grinned as she bit her lip. He trailed kisses down her neck, stopping once to suck on her collar bone. He kept his hands at her hips and lowered his mouth to one of her nipples, sucking and nipping. She moaned, and without looking he grabbed both of her wrists with one hand and held them against the door over her head. He switched to the other breast, running his tongue around the nipple before nipping it. She whined again and turned her head, pressing a cheek to the door. He moved his hand from her hip to the other breast, massaging it roughly. Her free hips wiggled and she brushed them against his. He stifled a moan and moved both of his hands back to her hips, keeping them in place. He removed his mouth from her breast, earning another whine. He got down on his knees and placed his mouth just next to her left hip bone. He bit down and sucked for what seemed like hours to her, before finally, with one last lick, he drew back blowing on the red spot he had left. She shivered. He stood up, smirking as she blushed a deeper red.

"And that was just a warning, Kirro." he said in a husky voice. "I was going to say, 'If you tell another one of my secrets I'll be much less controlled.' But, now I'm starting to wonder if I should just wait until the Twins try to tickle me again." he tweaked one nipple and she gasped. He left chuckling.

She slowly slid to the floor, wanting to run away and wanting to follow him, begging for more. She sat there, calming her breathing. She pulled her bra and shirt on, feeling too exposed.

She sat there debating, 'What if I want him to lose his control?' she thought, blushing. She shook the thought out of her head and pulled out her phone, dialing Hikaru's number.

"Hello, Kirro-senpai!" he started laughing. "Thanks for the tip! You should have seen the look on Kyouya-senpai's face!"

"Hikaru, are you and your brother in the same room?" she asked abruptly.

"Yeah, why?"

"Put me on speakerphone." she heard a beeping noise.

"Okay."

"Hikaru, Kaoru, if you value your lives for God's sake never tickle Kyouya again. Ever." she said.

There was a silence before both twins were laughing, "What's wrong, Kirro-senpai? Did Kyouya-senpai do something to make you say that?" they teased her.

"Boys, do it again and I will kill you." she threatened, hoping to send her evil aura over the phone.

"Okay, okay, no need to get all shadowy." Hikaru chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, we promise we won't do it again." Kaoru chuckled.

"You promise?" she asked.

"Definitely." they swore.

"Good." she closed her phone.

Little did she know, in Kaoru's room, two pairs of fingers were crossed.

...

'It's Haruhi. I'm sorry for dropping off the grid. The two months since I moved to Boston (and that idiotic incident with the rest of the Host Club coming here to study abroad) have gone by in a flash.' Haruhi thought sitting at her desk, preparing for next week, the first week of school.

"Haru-chan~! Would you like to take a break and have some cake~?" a tiny, sweet voice asked from behind her.

'I know find myself face-to-face with one of those mysteries of the human body.' Haruhi looked around, under her desk, and, finally when she couldn't find the voice's originator, in her drawer.

"Haru-chan, Haru-chan it's me. I'm not in the drawer~!" the now five-foot-nine Hani laughed.

"Oh, s-sorry, Hani-senpai! I still haven't wrapped my head around how somebody can grow thirty-two centimeters in only two months." she apologized, embarrassed.

"Hey~! Guess what~? I found another delicious bakery~ There's a cafe behind the university~!" he held up a box.

The door opened and Tamaki and the Twins walked in.

"I'm home, Haruhi!" Tamaki said in sing-song.

"Sorry to intrude." the Twins said flatly. "Oh, Hani-senpai! We're still not used to it!" they looked shocked.

"Sorry to intrude~" Hani laughed.

"Tamaki-senpai, don't come back to other people's apartments like it's normal." Haruhi scolded. "And, Hikaru and Kaoru, you don't have to come over everyday."

Tamaki ignored the comment, "Oh! Is that cake?"

"Sounds good! Tono, go make the tea!"

"Hm?" he flitted around the room. "Like a servant? Okay. Fine. Whatever. Heat the water! Put the tea into the pot! While the tea is brewing, warm the cups! Get out the cake plates!" he did everything he said quickly while the Twins marveled and clapped.

"Amazing Tono! That must the result of Haruhi's training! With those skills you could become a wife!"

"But by Haruhi's standards have I mastered the household duties?" he blushed.

"For me to say something like that then he'd have to make at least one pot of curry." she said. 'Hm, I wonder if there's something in American food that spurs growth?' she thought. 'But, Hani-senpai is the only one who's grown, and Kirro-senpai is relatively short.'

"Well then, shall we eat?" Tamaki asked, sitting a circle of his friends.

Haruhi was dwarfed among the people who were five-foot-eight, the Twins, to six-foot-three, Mori. 'What is this strange feeling of claustrophobia? And why is it always so noisy?'

"Hm, for some reason I'm sleepy..." Hani trailed off, rubbing his eyes.

'Not cute at all!'

"Mitsukuni." Mori picked him up and dropped him on the floor, covering him with a blanket.

'What careless treatment!'

"Now that he's no longer small, does Hani-senpai no longer stir up Mori-senpai's need to serve him?" Tamaki asked.

"Come to think of it, Pome and Piyo seem to love Hani-senpai now." Haruhi mused.

"But, something's strange! Why did he suddenly grow only now, while studying abroad? It's like his role as a loli-shota was brought to an end once the Host Club ended!" Hikaru screeched.

A sudden realization hit Kaoru, "Oh my gosh."

"Kaoru?"

"A number of times I saw Kyouya-senpai giving something to Hani-senpai! He called it 'his usual vitamins' He asked him to take one every day."

'Kyouya-senpai was purposefully manipulating Hani-senpai's growth so he would stay short?'

"Why? Why? That's an overly dangerous thing to do to a person!" everyone freaked out. "He probably went that far because without making him a loli-shota character there was no other way to sell him!"

Kyouya walked in, pushing up his glasses and flashing an evil smile, "That's exactly what I decided."

Everyone jumped.

"The Host Club already had a 'Tall Dumb Blond' character. So, why should there be two?"

'Big Hani-senpai overlaps with Tamaki-senpai?'

There was a collective screech of fear.

"And that's what I dreamed last night." Haruhi announced, having finished her story.

The rest of the group, who had come over to eat curry, was silent.

"Haruhi...you think I'm the dumb blond character?" Tamaki whined.

"Haru-chan, you think Tama-chan and I overlap?" Hani whined.

"Eh? What an awful dream to have." Kaoru stuttered.

"And very freaky." Kirro commented.

"Haruhi..." Kyouya set down his cup, smiling. "Can we talk? We need to have a serious discussion about how your inner workings perceive my character, okay?"

Haruhi jumped.

...

'Oh man...' Kirro sat up sleepily. 'Is it really today already?' she wanted to go back to sleep.

Today was the first day of school in Boston. The academy, 'Generically named Boston Academy.' was one of the finest, if not the finest, school in New England.

'Thankfully it's within walking distance...' she thought. The apartment complex was actually across the street from the campus. 'And, at least I have a vague idea about where my classes are.' she sluggishly walked to the shower. 'Maybe today won't be so bad, well, tiring, but not bad.'

She could hear the beeping of Kyouya's alarm clock, first quiet, then a little louder, until the noise was no longer ignorable.

'Does it really take three tones to wake him up on a school day?' she thought, smirking.

After she had finished getting ready, she picked up her schoolbag and ventured out into the hallway of the apartment complex, there stood Tamaki and Haruhi waiting for her and Kyouya.

"Good morning, Kirro, do you know if Kyouya's awake?" Tamaki asked, looking excited.

"He should be, his alarm went off in three different tones." she smiled.

"It takes three tone to wake him up?" Haruhi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's exactly what I thought."

"You both know how I feel about waking up early." the slightly shadowy voice said from behind them, causing Kirro to jump.

"Now that everyone except the Twins are here, should we make sure the Twins are awake?" Tamaki smiled as he greeted Kyouya.

Once everyone was rounded up, this took a little time as the Twins had forgotten to set their alarm clocks, they were as ready as they ever were going to be for their first day of school.

Kirro had now been to three different schools in her lifetime, and this one was probably the one that would take the most getting used to. When she attended elementary school and middle school in Los Angeles, everyone had grown to know who she was, and she kept to herself so there wasn't a lot of strangeness that effected her class time. Ouran was a little different, no one besides Kyouya really knew who she was, for the first few weeks of school she was constantly asked questions about herself and Los Angeles and why she came to Japan and so on and so forth. But, this time she was going to a school, for her final year of school, with a bunch of Japanese kids, four out of five being pretty boys that the girls at the high school did not know about. So, needless to say, even during class time there were lot of questions.

So, she resorted to multitasking. Taking notes while answering questions. Writing while answering questions. Reading while answering questions. Formulating answers to both the teacher's questions as well as a student's question. And of course, listening to two conversations at once.

'It's funny how much you're able to do with a little practice.'

She was even able to set a little much needed revenge on the Twins for that Twister Incident.

"So, are any of those boys you know available?" one girl in her English class asked her.

"Well, I'm sorry, but, the one with glasses and the blond both have girlfriends, but...you know, both of the Twins are free. Why don't you try talking to them sometime?" she chuckled to herself.

...

"How was everyone's first day at school~?" Hani asked later that day.

"Amazing!" Tamaki smiled.

"Interesting." Kyouya commented.

"A little difficult." Haruhi said, glad for the challenge.

"Fun." Kirro shrugged.

"Tiring." the Twins said in unison. "There were more girls trying to get to know us than Tamaki-senpai and Kyouya-senpai combined! We didn't go a minute without a girl bugging us."

Kirro chuckled, knowing the reason for it.

"Really~?" Hani cocked his head. "Maybe twins are just more popular than princes and cool types in America~?"

"Yeah." Mori agreed.


	5. Chapter 5

A.N. In which I am sorry for the wait, also the part about Kirro in the mirror, all girls have moments like this I'm sure.

**Chapter Five: Annoyance, Are You Challenging Me? and Mirror.**

Kirro knew that sometimes people could get annoying. She had lived all of her life with two sisters that could be overly annoying at any time for any reason. Even her baby brother could get annoying. The Twins were annoying most definitely, and Tamaki could be annoying when he tried, and when he didn't try, and, at times, she even found Kyouya annoying. But, teenage girls were the most annoying kind on the planet.

Back at Ouran, they didn't bother her much. Which is odd seeing as how Kyouya, being a host, was always surrounded by lovestruck girls. That was nothing, now, it was different. Ever since she had started going to school in Boston, she had begun to receive endless questions about the four boys who went to the Academy with her. She thought that maybe if she told one girl that only the Twins were single, most of the girls would turn their attention to the doppelgangers and stop pestering Kirro with questions about Kyouya and Tamaki.

Kirro thought wrong. Apparently until these teenagers had found out who was dating who, they would not rest. Well, in all actuality, they assumed correctly that Haruhi was Tamaki's girlfriend. But, somehow, though Kirro spent quite a bit of her time at Kyouya's side when she had the time to, no one had ever assumed that the two were a couple.

That wasn't the big deal. Kirro was perfectly okay with the girls not knowing. She was also okay with girls flirting with Kyouya, in fact she was used to it, she was never the jealous type. The one thing she didn't like was the questions. Every class she was bombarded by: "So, did Kyouya leave his girlfriend in Japan?" or "What's her name?" "Is she really beautiful? What is she like?" "Do you think he'll break up with her?" And at first it wasn't intolerable.

'And now it's intolerable. I go to school to study not to answer all of their lovesick questions. Does the teacher even notice them talking?' she was upside down on her couch, feet and arms crossed. She heard Kyouya's chuckle and pulled herself up onto the couch, peeking over it at him. "What's so funny?" she smirked, her mood dissipating.

He leaned on the door frame to his apartment, "Your face is all red from the blood that rushed to your head." he smiled. "Why were you upside down?"

"Perhaps the better question here is: why weren't you upside down?" she grinned, resting her head in her hand.

"No, I still think my question was better." he crossed the room to meet her, kissing her quickly.

"I think American girls talk in class more than Japanese girls." she said as he sat down next to her.

"What makes you think that?"

"I get asked about forty class unrelated questions every school day."

"If their unrelated to the class, then what are they about?" he pulled her onto his lap.

"Your girlfriend." she raised her eyebrow.

"Don't be antisocial, Kirro, tell them about yourself."

"No, you see, that's the thing." she laughed. "They don't know it's me."

"You didn't tell them?"

"I figured that they would just assume. They assumed correctly with Haruhi and Tamaki." she frowned. "But, they haven't."

"Then tell them. I thought we agreed that our relationship was going to be more open now?" he kissed her neck, the hint of a growl in his voice. "Besides it would probably make them quit asking you about my girlfriend if they knew it was you."

"But, Kyouya..." she whined, hiding her face in his chest.

"What? Are you embarrassed?" he chided. "How could you be embarrassed by admitting that you have someone like me?" he said arrogantly, knowing she would raise her eyebrow at him.

"No, but..."

"Fine, if you won't tell them, I will." he chuckled.

"What? No, you can't do that!" she jumped.

"Why can't I? You are embarrassed." he raised an eyebrow smirking.

"No, it's just..." she sighed. "Just promise me you won't say anything."

After a short silence he complied, "Fine. I won't say anything."

Kirro smiled, kissing him, "Thank you, Kyouya."

The very next day as the group was walking to school, Kyouya stopped Kirro at the gate.

"Hm?" she turned to face him, wondering what he wanted. His lips met hers, though he pulled away quickly. Kirro's face lit up, she held a hand to her lips, "K-Kyouya?" Out of the corner of her eye she could see about half of the school watching.

"P.D.A! P.D.A!" the Twins pointed.

"What? I didn't _say_ anything." Kyouya chuckled, walking off ignoring the Twins.

'Well, at least now I can pay attention to the lesson...' Kirro thought as she sat down in her first class. 'But um...' she tried to shrink away from the icy stares of some of the girls in the room. 'Is it cold in here, or is it just me?'

...

'Yay for Saturdays!' Kirro thought somewhere between sleep and alertness. She was curled up in a ball, the warm blankets tucked around her. 'I wish I could stay like this all day.'

And then her phone rang.

'Not even one wish? I should have knocked on wood.'' she whined, stretching her hand and grabbing her phone. Clicking it open and holding it to her ear.

"Hello?" she sighed.

"Kirro! Kyouya hates me!" Tamaki yelled.

"Hold on, wait, what, why?" she stammered, still half asleep.

"Kyouya won't answer his phone!"

"...Tamaki, he doesn't hate you, he's probably still asleep..." she sighed again, smiling a little, holding the phone away from her ear to prevent further hearing damage..

"But it's one o'clock!" he screeched, worried.

"Holy-p.m.?" her eyes went wide.

"Yes, were you asleep, Kirro?" he asked.

"Yeah, wow, must have been exhausted."

"W-will you wake Kyouya up for me, Kirro?"

"What...? Why can't you?" she sat up.

All she heard on the other end of the line was a whimper and she just knew he was making puppy dog eyes.

"Fine, goodbye Tamaki." she sighed a third time.

"Thank you!" he chirped.

"Yeah, yeah." she hung up.

'Make me handle the Shadow King.' she threw the blankets off, walking into Kyouya's apartment. Contrary to group-popular belief, she did not receive special nice treatment from the Hypotensive Demon Lord. She thought that it didn't matter whether or not he loved her. If anything, he could be even worse to her. There were certain things he would do with her that he, though a lot of his fangirls wished otherwise, wouldn't do with Tamaki or anyone else.

She shivered, hoping he wasn't in one of "those" moods.

She quietly made her way to Kyouya's room, trying the most direct approach.

"Kyouya, it's one o'clock p.m. So, you need to wake up." she poked the sleeping lump in the blankets.

There was no response.

"Kyouya! Wake up!" she shook him.

He growled, "Get out of my room, Kirro."

She whined, "Come on, Kyouya! You have to wake up."

He sat up, looking exhausted, and rather angry, he turned to her, his eyebrow twitching, "Do you know how late I was up to last night?"

"No, but you shouldn't stay up so late, if it means you're going to sleep until one p.m." she smiled semi-sweetly.

"You're still in your pajamas, so you wer-" he abruptly fell back asleep.

"Ky-Kyouya?" she poked him.

No response.

She sighed, "How am I supposed to get him up?"

And then, an idea.

She ran out to his kitchenette and found the biggest bowl she could find and filled it with cold water. 'This is probably a really really really bad idea, but...'

She ran back into his room, "Kyouya, one last warning." she said in sing-song. "Alright, suit yourself." she flung the water onto him.

He immediately sat up, mouth wide, he turned to her, "Did...did you just?"

"No!" she grinned, dropping the bowl. She took off running.

"Kirro!" he got up, quickly putting on his glasses, running after her.

"I didn't do it! I promise!" she tried not to laugh. She ran into her room and around her couch.

"You horrible little liar!" he growled, his hair dripping, "I can't believe you did that!" he snarled.

"You weren't going to wake up any other way!" she giggled. Whenever she went one way, he attempted to follow. Finally she darted out of her apartment, narrowly avoiding his grasp, and into the hallway, she ran up the stairs to Tamaki's apartment, locking the door quickly behind her.

"Kirro-senpai?" Haruhi asked, giving her a funny look. "Why are you still in your pajamas?"

"There's no time for explanations, little Haruhi! Kyouya is most likely going to be here in a few seconds, he will be extremely angry. And most likely cold and wet! So, whatever you needed him for, Tamaki, you'll have about five seconds to talk to him before he kills me." she smiled, pointing to the confused blond.

"Wha?"

About that time Kyouya entered the room via the door that connected to Haruhi's apartment. Kirro shrieked and hid behind Haruhi.

He sighed, "Come here, right now, Kirro." he pointed to the space in front of him.

"Uh, K-Kyouya! You are all wet..." Tamaki smiled, "Anyway! You're finally up! I was thinking about going to a supermarket today so I asked Kirro to wake you up, you see." he fidgeted, feeling guilty.

Kyouya kept his glare on Kirro, "What is it, Tamaki?"

"Well, I just wanted your opinion on whether I should wear the blue shirt or the yellow shirt." he held up the two.

"That's what you wanted?" Kirro couldn't believe it. She nearly fell over.

"Blue." Kyouya said simply. "And now that I've given you my advice, come here, Kirro." he ordered.

Against her better judgement, she walked towards the door, "All that trouble for that..." she sighed. 'Never take Tamaki seriously ever again.' She skipped out, trying to find a way to avoid the grinning Kyouya. Though, she knew that was impossible.

She quickly made it to her apartment, knowing he was close behind. He came in after her, closing the door and taking his shirt off.

"Is it too late to apologize?" she squirmed in his glare.

"No, but, that's not going to change anything now. I'm still cold and wet."

"Would you at least like a towel to dry off with before you kill me?" she asked, nervously.

"No, I'll manage. And I'm not going to kill you. Just something close to it." he smirked, pulling her to him.

"Jeez! You really are cold!" she shivered.

"Who's fault is that?" he grinned. "You know, I'm beginning to wonder if you don't just mess with me for my attention."

"What?" she half turned, trying to get out of his embrace. "Please I'm not like-"

He kissed her, smiling.

"You know, Kyouya, if your bed is still wet, you could always share mine." she offered, trying to hide her blush.

He bit her neck, "I'm going to take you up on your offer. Now, what am I to do for the rest of the day?"

"We both woke up around one. So, we'll still have plenty of time to...do whatever you like."

"Spending the day and night with me, your punishment for waking me up with ice cold water."

...

Whenever Kirro tricked Kyouya, there were always two things that followed. Punishment and then revenge. Both of which were usually sexual.

But, Kirro was still surprised when she woke up to find that there were no clothes in any of her drawers. Well, except for one thing.

Kirro held up the skimpy outfit.

"I...I'm going to kill him." she blushed a deep crimson color. She couldn't even imagine herself wearing it. 'Little tiny underwear and a see-through camisole... When and where did he even get this?' she took the note attached to it.

'Either wear your pajamas for the rest of your life, or try this on and let me see how it looks.'

"I'm going to kill him!" she stood up, grabbing her phone. She punched in Kyouya's number.

"Hello?" the languid voice asked.

"What the hell are you trying to pull, Kyouya?" she screeched. "I'm going to kill you if you don't return my clothes right now, pervert!"

"Ooh, to have made you this mad. I'm guessing you've found my note?" he said rather playfully.

"I was nice to you all day yesterday and you go and do something like this?"

He chuckled, "Nice to me? You woke me up with a bowl of cold water, and I was having such a nice dream, too."

"Yes, but then I allowed you to do whatever you wanted to do, I even let you sleep in my bed!" she whined.

"So, why is this the one thing you get mad about?" he chuckled.

"Because, Kyouya, it's so...tiny." she blushed.

There was a silence on the other end.

"Kyouya? Dammit! You better give back my clothes!"

"Only...only if you wear it." he said, laughing. "I'll be home around two."

"Jerk." she hung up. She sighed, examining the lingerie again. "I'm going to kill him..." she flung it on her bed, and ran into her bathroom for a shower.

She got out, leaving her hair down and, with one last sigh, she put on the lingerie.

"I-I hate this." she sat down on her bed, feeling exposed. She covered up quickly, she didn't want to look at herself. It wasn't that she thought she was ugly. She thought herself rather pretty. Hundreds of people were always telling her she looked beautiful, but, due to her embarrassment she just shrug it off. Always muttering something like: "I try to take good care of myself." And she did, she was lazy but she always got plenty exercise, she ate right and was crazy about hygiene.

It had all paid off. She was never very muscular, she was indeed a weakling. But, she had grown into a classically lovely feminine physique, inherited from her mother. Good genes helped, too. She developed an hourglass figure, but her hip measurements were bigger than her chest measurements. Though, she was nicely endowed in the breast area, if she did say so herself. Her skin, despite all the sun she had received over the years, remained pale, perhaps it was from her father he was also rather pale, and splashed with freckles. Her long hair had grown longer, her curls weighted becoming looping waves that fell to just above her waist.

Despite the blanket over her, she had just kind of noticed herself in a different way. She stood, pushing off the covers.

Her bathroom had a full-length mirror. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to use it, but, now she found herself standing in front of it.

She didn't exactly like what she was dressed in, it was almost degrading. But, though she saw herself everyday obviously, she couldn't help but think she looked different.

'What is it?' she examined her reflection. 'Maybe something...girly?'

Kirro wasn't extremely girly, not to say she was manly, she was decidedly neutral, maybe leaning just a bit more to the girly side, but, only depending on how you looked at it. She could be extremely girly. It was easy. But, now there was something unrecognizable about her.

'No,no, it's something...womanly.' she realized.

She turned in the mirror, held up her hair, moved around. From all angles she looked more grown-up, or mature. Physically speaking and in the way she moved and gestured. And really, as she turned, she grew to like what she had on, if only a little bit.

Mature...but also kind of sexy.' her cheeks went red at the word. 'But...why?' she pondered. Then she thought back and remembered.

Love does something to a girl. She can mature when she is in love. The epiphany made her smile.

And then she heard the door open.

She blushed, knowing that it was Kyouya who walked through the door.

She turned away from the mirror, and walked out of the bathroom rather timidly.

"Ah, there you..." the grin turned into a kind of surprised but pleased look on his face. "...are..."

She gave him a quick look, that questioned him, a sort of "How do I look?" before quickly turning away.

"Wow..." his pleased tone returned. "It really does look nice on you." he practically purred.

"I know." she said quietly.

He smirked at that, "Good." he crossed the room to her. "It's about time you noticed it."

She grabbed his hands as they entwined in hers. She smiled small to herself, but it earned his chuckle. He kissed her, biting her lip with a calmed aggression. She leaned against him, and he let his hands find their way to her hips. He toyed with the sheer fabric that covered her torso. She bit his neck with a smile and he groaned. He ran his hands up her sides, pulling off the camisole. She almost suppressed a little surprised squeak. He growled and pushed her up against the wall, causing her to giggle.

"What's so funny?" he raised an eyebrow, smirking.

She raised her eyebrow, running her hands through his hair, pulling his head to hers until they were kissing again. She trailed her hands down his button-up shirt, undoing every button. She slipped it off of him quickly, running her hands up and down his chest.

"A little assertive today..." he absentmindedly remarked.

"More than a little." she replied chuckling. Her hands went down to the zipper of his pants.

His eyes grew a little wide as she easily unbuttoned and unzipped them, allowing them to fall to the floor.

She waited for him to make the next move, smirking a little haughtily. But, in all reality, she was completely aware of what could happen and was extremely nervous.

He didn't move, he was silent and still, arm on either side of her, tension welling up in his stomach.

Finally, he sighed, cursing under his breath, he gave her one last intense look that made her veins hot and said, "Not yet." before quickly leaving via the adjoined door.

"I'm expected my clothes back!" she called after him, a little relieved that she didn't go through the usual punishment. But, also a little unsatisfied that their brief encounter was just that, a brief encounter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: The Fever Dream (a.k.a. Tower, Seeing Red, and Fairy Tale).**

'Oh, I can't believe it, the first three-day weekend we get, and I get sick.' Kirro groaned. 'Of course, just my luck.' She wrapped herself up in blankets, feeling horribly cold.

"Don't worry, it's just a fever." Kyouya chuckled. "If you get some rest, you should start to feel better. I'll have to tell Tamaki we can't go anywhere today."

"No, you can go with him." Kirro protested. "Nothing wrong with you. And don't tell any of them I'm sick, they'd insist on coming over." she laughed.

"Are you sure?" he felt her forehead again.

She nodded.

"Well, okay then, if you start feeling worse call me, alright?" he stood up.

"Of course."

"Okay, get some sleep, bye." he kissed her forehead and left.

Kirro waited until the door closed, she collapsed onto the bed. It was only a few moments until she was asleep.

...

The only people Kirro had ever known were the Warlocks. The Warlocks were quite fond of her, and they treated her like their own little sister. Though, most of the time they could be horribly antagonizing. The older of the two Warlocks, Hikaru, had once told her the story of how the Warlocks came to be her caretakers, as she had been in her mother's womb at the time.

Apparently her mother had really desired a plant that grew in the Warlocks' garden. And her father tried to steal it from their garden so her mother could eat it, but got caught.

"And stealing is very wrong!" the younger Warlock, Kaoru, added.

"So we made him play a penalty game!" they said together.

"Your father was very stupid." Hikaru told her.

"Probably because he was blond." Kaoru told her.

"So, obviously he lost!" they laughed. "Because we're infinitely more awesome than him!"

"And, he bet you in the game."

"So we won you fair and square."

Though it really should have been a sad story about a couple losing their child, Kirro, who was very young at the time, had agreed with them that stealing was wrong and, whoever her father was, he had lost fair and square, so, she saw nothing wrong with it.

Over time, Kirro grew to be curious about the world outside of the Warlocks' house, and the Warlocks being the Warlocks, were not quite happy with this. So, they locked her away in a tower. She wasn't mad, she was a very passive thing, so she never tried to escape. She grew out her hair, which was apparently her mother's dark brown color but was ceremoniously dyed blond as one of the Warlocks' tricks. And soon, it was able to reach the ground from the window at the top of the tower. Noticing this, the Warlocks, instead of using their levitation powers to enter the otherwise closed off tower, would call out upon approaching the tower: "Kirro, Kirro, let down your long hair, so that we may climb the golden stair!" And, against her better judgement, she would, thankfully, it didn't hurt like she thought it would.

Other than the visits from the Warlocks and her artwork, Kirro had nothing to do but sing. She was a very good singer, though the Warlocks told her that her mother was a terrible one. So good that, unbeknownst to her, her voice had attracted the black-haired, bespectacled Shadow Prince. He circled the tower often, and came back everyday but found no entrance so that he could find out exactly who was singing. Or rather, find out exactly who was in the tower, for there was no one person in the entirety of his principality that he didn't know, as it were.

One day, while going to check the tower again, the Shadow Prince witnessed the Warlocks approaching the tower. He heard them call out: "Kirro, Kirro, let down your long hair, so that we may climb the golden stair!"

After a few hours of carefully observing from the shadows, the Warlocks descended laughing and chatting about how they couldn't believe Kirro had actually fallen for some prank or other. Once they were well enough away, the Shadow Prince stood before the tower.

He cleared his throat, "Kirro, Kirro, let down your long hair, so that I may climb the golden stair!" he called, thinking that it was quite possibly the most ridiculous thing he had ever said.

Kirro was skeptical, 'That doesn't sound like either of the Warlocks...' but, being the sweet, sheltered girl she was, she flung her braid out the window.

The Shadow Prince climbed her hair, thinking it was probably the most ridiculous thing he ever _did _and hopped into the window.

"W-who are you?" Kirro looked surprised, and a bit scared, "You're not one of the Warlocks!"

"Obviously." he chuckled. "But, I am Kyouya, the Shadow Prince, and you, are quite possibly the only person in the principality that I do not know."

"My...my name is Kirro, Prince Kyouya." she curtsied politely.

"Well, I knew your name from the rhyme, but, exactly who are you?" he asked, amused. "What is your relation to the Warlock Twins?"

"Oh, well, you see, they're my caretakers." she said quickly. "But, I'm not related to them. They won me from my father before I was born."

"Won you?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, in a penalty game!" she laughed.

"Oh, their penalty games..." he cringed as he had been involved in quite a few of them himself. "But, that's still kidnapping. You do know that's illegal, right? Even in my principality."

"No, no, they won me fair and square!" she chuckled. "And, they really are nice, if extremely annoying. They've taken care of me all of my life!"

"Yes, but, that's still kidnapping. And, while I normally wouldn't really care," he smirked arrogantly. "I'm tired of those two doing whatever they want."

"I'm sorry, did I get them in trouble? I really don't want that. Please don't be mad at them." she pleaded.

He didn't know if it was what she said, or how she said it, but, the Shadow Prince for some odd reason didn't want to make her sad, so he sighed and said, "Fine. But, if they do one more thing that I don't approve of, I'm not going to be so lenient."

"Thank you, Prince Kyouya! But, you should probably know, I'm not allowed to see anyone other than the Warlocks, which is why they locked me away in the tower."

"Please, I'm the Prince, what can they do to me?"

"I don't know, they once turned me into a cat because I said that they whined too much." she chuckled.

"Oh, they know I can do much worse to them." he said, matter-of-factly.

After that night, Kyouya visited Kirro every night after the Warlocks went away. The two had become rather close quickly. The Prince always offered to free her, but, she always turned the offer down, because she didn't want to cause worry.

Eventually though, the Warlocks became suspicious of the change in Kirro's attitude. And, one day, they heard Kirro mumble: "You two are heavier than he is."

"What?" they turned to her.

"I didn't say anything!" she laughed nervously.

"No, who's 'he'?" they pressed.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Kirro, we won you fair and square, you're our toy and we don't like sharing with others!" they huffed.

"Technically, you kidnapped me." she said.

"Kidnapping?" Kaoru questioned.

"We did no such thing." Hikaru snapped.

"Yes, and you've kept me locked away in this tower for years! I didn't even know this land was a principality until he came!" she crossed her arms.

"Who's he?"

"I-I can't tell you! But, but, really it's for your own good!" she tried calming them.

But, they were already mad, they cut off her hair, and, enraged, they kicked her out of the tower so that she could wander the wilderness alone.

She curled up against a tree after trying to find her way out of the forest that surrounded the tower, and cried.

Back at the tower, the Shadow Prince called: "Kirro, Kirro, let down your long hair, so that I may climb the golden stair!"

The blond braid was dropped from the window, he climbed up to see the Warlock Twins waiting for him. Upon realizing that it was the Prince, they paled.

"Where's Kirro, Warlock Twins?" he asked, sweeping the room with his glare.

"W-we-"

"Threw her out?" he sneered. "That's not very nice of you. She really liked the both of you. Convinced me not to punish you for kidnapping."

The Warlocks suddenly felt awful about what they had done.

The Shadow Prince, leaned out the window and gestured. Two knights, named Hani and Mori, champions in a wide variety of fighting styles, in all black rode out of the woods.

"Knights, there is a girl about my age, with short dyed blonde hair in the surrounding area! Find her." with one last scowl at the Twins he easily made his way down from the tower on his own.

They search for hours, trying to find Kirro. Then, suddenly, as it got dark, they heard Kirro singing, a calming lullaby because she was afraid of the dark.

"Kirro, are you alright?" Kyouya asked, getting down from his horse.

"Prince Kyouya! Yes, thank you!" she clung to him, and he hugged her back.

"I was so worried." he admitted. "I'm going to kill them for this!"

"No, they were just mad. You see, the truth is, those two have never had any friends and they don't know how to treat others." she tried.

"That's a horrible excuse."

"Please, don't be mad." she looked up at him, trying to calm him.

"How can I not be?"

She kissed him.

It worked.

The Warlocks never kidnapped anyone ever again, and Prince Kyouya didn't kill them. She lived in the palace with him for quite some time, and she even located her parents. Her mother and father were very nice and her mother had never wanted her father to steal anything. They were both really glad to have their daughter back. They had tried to find her and take her back for years.

Upon seeing them however, Kyouya looked confused, "Tamaki? Haruhi? The new King and Queen of the neighboring country? They're your parents?"

Apparently after giving Kirro away, the peasants had become royalty because Tamaki was the illegitimate son of the neighboring country's king.

"Apparently." Kirro smiled.

"Tamaki, didn't you once make a deal with me? At the last Meeting of Royals, that if you lost to me in a game of croquet, you would give me your daughter's hand in marriage?" he looked as shocked as a Shadow Prince could.

"What?" Haruhi screeched. "Before we had even found her you offered her away again?"

"I'm sorry! I thought I would win!" Tamaki tried.

"W-what?" Kirro stuttered.

"Well, it's too late now, it was a promise after all." Kyouya smiled, kissing Kirro.

"C-can't I just go live with the Warlocks again?" Kirro whined.

"No way in hell!" all three replied.

...

Kirro woke up, still cold and feverish. 'Moral of the story: I'm glad Tamaki isn't my Dad.'

"What a weird dream." she sat up, making sure her hair was the right length. Upon finding that everything was in order, she went back to sleep.

...

"No, no, I can do it!" Kirro tried. "Dad, you're always working so hard! I can take the basket to Mom!"

Her father, who didn't look much like her, in fact he looked almost the same age as her, said, "No, no, Kirro, I can't let you go through that forest by yourself! It's unsafe, your mother would be so mad at me for letting you go alone!"

"But I'm seventeen now, I'll be careful. I know how to take care of myself!" she argued, taking the basket from her fathers hands. "Plus, I've always been way more capable than you."

Her father sulked in the corner. She took the opportunity to leave, grabbing her red riding hood before closing the door.

'I wish it was yellow.' she chuckled, crossing the short feet until she made it into the forest. It was the first time she had ever been in the woods by herself and she followed the same path that she had followed to get to where her mother, a lawyer, was staying so she could study a kidnapping case in the forest.

Little did she know, she was being watched by a rather shadowy humanoid wolf. He had seen her before, she lived just outside the woods where he dare not go. She was a very beautiful woman and her mother lived within the forest. She usually came into the forest with her father, but, where was that man now? The wolf smiled, his fangs glinting. He was a horrible wolf, he had discovered he liked the taste of humans just the other day when he ate a pair of twins and he thought that Kirro looked rather tasty.

He formulated a plan and jumped down from the branch he was sitting on.

Kirro was walking innocently on her way when she heard a twig snap. She turned looking in the direction of the noise.

"Hello." a deep voice asked.

She whipped around to where the voice had come from, 'A wolf? Or a man?' she questioned herself. He had the claws, ears and fangs of a wolf, but the rest of his body was that of a man's. She didn't ask him exactly what he was, because that would be rude, and instead said, "Hello?"

"You're the daughter of that woman who lives in the forest, aren't you?" he grinned. "What are you doing out here alone?"

"Yes, I am, I'm going to her house to deliver this basket." she divulged.

"Ah, but, wouldn't your mother appreciate flowers as well?" he asked, cocking his head.

"Actually, my mother doesn't really care for flowers." Kirro smiled, walking around him. "If you'll excuse me-"

"Nonsense." the wolf said in a cool voice. "There is a patch of flowers not far from here, they're extremely beautiful. Even someone like your mother would love them. I'll show you." he took her wrist and lead her to the flowers.

They were extremely beautiful, vividly colored roses that grew no thorns.

"Y-you're right these are amazing!" Kirro picked one delicately. She held it up to her eyes, examining it.

The wolf took her wrist again and held the flower to his nose, inhaling and commenting, "Indeed they are." he looked straight into her eyes.

Kirro blushed.

"Goodbye now, Kirro." he chuckled, releasing her wrist and walking off.

"G-goodbye..." Kirro wondered what was so strange about the wolf. She shrugged it off and picked her mother a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

As Kirro was busy picking flowers, the wolf made his way to Kirro's mother's house before her. Her mother was out, which was good, he didn't want to have to kill her. He wouldn't eat her, so it would be pointless.

Kirro finally picked all of the roses she wanted and quickly made her way to her mother's house, as it was getting dark.

When she opened the door...the house was dark and quiet.

"M-mom?" she tried, she hated the dark. "Mom, are you home?" she asked again. "Hello?" she timidly took a step inside.

The door shut and she shrieked.

"Who's there?" she backed into a corner. Someone, or something, as it were, was in front of her. They held her hands to the wall, making her drop the bouquet and basket. A small sliver of moonlight shone through a half-covered window, allowing Kirro to see the face of her captor.

The grinning face of the Wolf, smiled back at her.

Her eyes were drawn to his fangs, "M-my, what big teeth you have." she said simply, extremely scared.

"The better to eat you with!" he replied, throwing her onto the bed in the small cottage. He hovered over her, licking his lips.

She squeaked, wide-eyed with a kind of terror, "W-why would you want to eat me?" she squeaked.

He chuckled, "Because you're beautiful."

"B-but, I don't usually want to eat things because they're beautiful." she tried. "I only eat things because they taste good."

He smirked, licking her neck, she squeaked again, squirming, "I'm sure you'll taste good." he told her.

"But I'm a human!"

"I'm a wolf, I can eat humans."

"Please don't eat me, wolf!" she tried.

"Oh, and why shouldn't I?" he chuckled, this human was very amusing.

"Because that isn't nice."

He laughed, one of his claws scraped across the pale skin of her wrist, drawing a little blood.

"Ouch." she winced slightly.

He licked up the blood, "You do taste good. Oh, and, I've never been fond of being nice."

She whimpered and, on impulse he turned her face towards him, he kissed her and realized what he was doing.

She was so confused, but, she kissed him back, she had to admit, she liked it. When he pulled away she said, "Please don't eat me."

He kissed her again, and let go of her wrists, he undid her hood, and reached for the first button on her shirt.

The door burst open, "Kirro!" her mother's voice shrieked.

The wolf was pulled off of her, by a small blond boy, "Wolf! Finally, I've caught you! You ate those twin boys! I cannot let you eat Kir-chan!" he yelled.

Her mother, who actually looked younger than her, ran over to her and held her close, "Oh my God, are you all right?"

"Y-yeah, Mom, but-!"

"The Woodsman saw him head toward the house, and then he saw you and got worried." she explained. "Thank you so much!"

"It's fine, Haru-chan! Now, Wolf, are you ready to die?" the Woodsman held his axe out.

The Wolf sneered, "Dying for eating those two Hitachiin bastards? No, it's not worth it."

"Please, hold on!" Kirro tried, unsure of why she wanted to help. 'I mean, he just tried to eat me, right?'

"Did you say...Hitachiin?" Kirro's mother asked, interrupting Kirro's train of thought . "Th-they were the ones who kidnapped all those kids. They lived in some weird sugary house to lure them, I have proof!"

"You... Is that why you ate them? Did you know?" the Woodsman asked.

"Yes, I knew." the Wolf smirked arrogantly.

"I don't think he wanted to eat me, either." Kirro said. "I think he's just confused, I would be too if I was a combination between wolf and man." she stood up, he kept his eyes on her. "I mean, he kissed me." she averted her eyes from his.

"I'm not confused, killing you would be a waste." he said. "It's a good thing I realized that before I ate you."

"So, you didn't want to eat her?" the Woodsman asked.

"Not exactly, no."

"Then, if you only ate two criminals and you weren't going to eat Kirro..." Kirro's mother looked at the Woodsman.

"I can't kill you, I guess."

"Good." the Wolf grinned.

"Come on Kirro, I think I'm going to take you home to your father." her mother lead her away. The Woodsman warned the Wolf that if he ever tried to eat anyone, he would die.

A few days after she got home, she was sitting outside, looking at the trees at the mouth of the forest. She saw a familiar wolf-like figure in the shadows. The Wolf curled one finger, beckoning her. She thought about it, then followed him.

...

Kirro woke up, slightly less feverish. She was blushing.

"What a messed up dream!" she said aloud. She turned on her side, and went back to sleep.

...

'He always hosts the loveliest dances.' Kirro thought as she watched all the people dancing. 'But, where in the world is he?'

She stood up, wandering through the masses. Where was that king? He was so mysterious sometimes.

She scanned the crowd countless times, looking for him. It was a masquerade, but, even with a mask on, she would recognize him.

She was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face the man she was looking for. She smiled, "Good evening, Shadow King."

He lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it, "Would you like to dance, dear Fairy Queen?" Kyouya smirked, his white pointed mask glinting before his dark brown eyes.

"Yes." she replied.

The music stopped. The lights were dimmed and the crowd parted for the two. The music picked up again, a song composed mostly of violins.

He really was like a shadow. He moved swiftly and precisely to the rhythm. Dressed in all black, his cape wrapping around them every so often. His black hair hidden by a black hat. The suit underneath his cape was black and midnight blue, with little silver-chained fasteners. The only bright thing on him was the shirt collar that peaked out from beneath the suit and his white gloves.

Kirro wore much brighter colors, her dress was different shades of purple and pink. Golden dust seemed to cling to the fabric. The dress came to just above her knees, and she wore fuchsia ballet flats, ribbons of the darkest hue of her dress wrapped up her forearms and legs. She wore a small gold tiara in her hair, which was pulled back in a mass of little curls. Her mask matched the ribbons, it had a glittering spiderweb design, the edges of the spiderwebs fell back into her hair.

As they danced, the bubbles of light above them flickered. Every time Kyouya raised a hand or took the lead, they dimmed and a few popped out of existence. Likewise, each time Kirro raised a hand or took the lead, the lights brightened and a few popped into existence.

They spun away from each other, fingertips barely touching.

The song ended abruptly.

Kyouya turned to her smirking. He snapped and all the lights went out. Similarly all of the people disappeared. His mask gleamed in the darkness.

"Ending the party so soon?" Kirro smiled.

"Yes." he crossed the small distance between them. "I wasn't in the mood for it any more." he explained simply.

"Then, what exactly are you in the mood for?" she teased, running a finger down his chest.

He placed a hand at her chin and held her wrist in the other. They kissed for what seemed like hours to Kirro. When she pulled away they were in his bedroom.

He undid the bow at the back of her neck and it fell around her shoulders.

She chuckled, undoing all of the fasteners and buttons on his vest.

He pulled the bands out of her hair, allowing the locks to hit the small of her back. He flung off his cape, gloves and jacket, throwing them to wherever they would land.

She unsnapped the buttons to his shirt and pulled his vest off.

He smiled, angling her chin to expose her neck. He kissed down to her collar bone and she gasped.

"Kirro?"

Kyouya pulled down on her dress, and he kissed her breasts.

"Kirro?"

He continued down her stomach and laid her down on his bed, she moaned as he returned to her nipples, licking and sucking.

"Kirro?"

"Kyouya..." she whimpered.

Kirro woke up, blushing.

Kyouya stood next to her bed, looking confused, "Are you...alright, Kirro?"

"Y-yeah, why wouldn't I be?" she squeaked.

"You had a fever, remember?" he chuckled. He pressed his hand to her forehead, "You should be over it."

"Good, I have the weirdest dreams when I'm feverish."

"You must, I came in to check on you and you were gasping and moaning. What were you dreaming about?"

"Uh, I-I'm not quite sure." she stuttered.

He raised an eyebrow, "Really? I thought I heard my name." he smirked.

"D-did you? Well, I..." she trailed off.

He kissed her.


	7. Chapter 7

A.N. A little lazy with this one, but, there's a big event coming up for this story. Anyways, I once got a review that I didn't give a good description of a certain picture, so, that's the first bit. Also, some sensitive material in the second bit, but, this piece of information that I am giving out will not affect the story in any way really. I wish it was Halloween.

**Chapter Seven: Rated Photo and Relaxation, Questioning and Halloween.**

_De-de-de-de! De-de-de-de!_

''What the hell is that noise?' Kirro turned under the covers.

_De-de-de-de! De-de-de-de!_

''Okay, it's a phone... But, that's not my ringtone!' she sighed. Sitting up she looked over to where the noise was coming from, her bedside table.

"Kyouya forgot his phone." she chuckled, picking up the sleek, black cell. "One new message, from Tamaki, of course." She flipped it open, feeling a bit curious.

_Everyone wants to know if Kirro is still sick._ it read.

"I thought I told him not to tell anyone I was sick." she raised an eyebrow. Sighing again she texted back, _No, she's feeling fine now._

She exited from the writing screen, and almost put the phone down when she saw something that caught her eye.

"Damn him." she blushed.

-Flashback-

"But I don't want to wear this!" Kirro whined. "I can forgive the torn jeans, and rock style clothes. I can forget that weird middle school outfit! But, but this is just...horrible!" she squeaked.

Tanya scoffed, "You'll get over it. You're what, sixteen now? You should want to wear cute things like that! Your sister wears that kind of thing all the time!"

"Margot and I are worlds apart, I am way more conservative than she is!" Kirro continued. "This is humiliating!"

The white shirt cut off just below her bra. It had the black glittering words: Electric City, on the front. Her shorts were as short as they could get without showing the pockets and black with gleaming silver studs. So, her legs and stomach were exposed. Sure, she had worn less, she wore bikinis whenever she wanted to swim, but, she had never walked around in public like that. Now she was paraded through Karuizawa along with Tanya, looking like an idiot in her opinion.

She silently prayed that no one from the Host Club would cross her path.

"You'll live." Tanya said simply. "Now, if we take this road, we'll be on location."

Kirro posed for her picture for what seemed like years to her.

Her hair was styled in a way so it would fall in front of her left eye, and she had to wear contacts.

'I hate this.'

Tanya's favorite photo from the shoot was this:

Kirro had posed with her hands in her hair. Her right hand pushing her bangs back, and her left hand covered by the longer locks that were tossed over her shoulder so they fell to her front. The one eyebrow exposed was raised, her chin pointed upward slightly to show her neck. Her lips ready to kiss. Her legs apart, left hip held a little above the right.

-End of Flashback-

The outfit was always the main focus of these kinds of pictures. But, Kirro knew that the model was also an eye catcher. She didn't want to catch any eyes like that. Thankfully Tanya had agreed to not give any information about Kirro after the Karuizawa Modeling Incident, but, that wasn't enough to stop certain people from recognizing her.

_Blee-dal-dee!_

_She opened her phone. On the screen was one of the photos Tanya had taken. One of the ones Kirro had regretted most._

_Is this you? K.O._

_Yes, she texted back._

_Blee-dal-dee!_

_I'm keeping it. -K.O._

That picture was the one which had been Tanya's favorite. That picture was the screen picture of Kyouya's phone.

'I wish he hadn't kept it.' she toyed with the idea of deleting it, but, knowing what Kyouya might do as revenge scared her. So, she let him keep it. 'Well, he has seen me in less.' she blushed at her own thoughts.

She entered Kyouya's room, setting the phone down on his bedside table. He was still asleep, but, when she made to turn around, he grabbed her wrist weakly.

"K-Kyouya?" she was pulled down to him. "Listen I was just returning your phone. I didn't mean to wake you. Don't go all Demon Lord on me." she chuckled.

"Be quiet." he smirked sleepily, grabbing her around the waist. "Lay down with me."

She smiled, raising her eyebrow, but, she did what he said, getting under the covers and curling up next to him. 'He's not perverted all the time.'

"I'm not that bad." he said, still tired.

"Still a mind reader?" she pressed her lips to his chest still smiling.

"Hm." was his only response.

...

_Tink! Spish!_

"Gah! You freaking Twins!" Kirro jumped up, hot tea running down her form. "Ow!" Her shirt was soaked. "Lovely..."

The Twins immediately ran backwards, "It's not our fault! We were chasing Tono!" they tried to justify.

"Kirro-senpai, you can use my shower." Haruhi kindly offered. "All three of you need to settle down and stop running around my apartment." she scolded the Twins and Tamaki.

"Thank you, Haruhi." Kirro made for her shower.

...

Kirro stepped out of the shower about the same time Haruhi stepped into the bathroom.

"Oh! Sorry, Kirro-senpai, I was just going to give you a shirt to change into!" Haruhi averted her eyes.

"Don't worry, it's fine, Haruhi. You're heterosexual, right?" Kirro chuckled, covering up with a towel. "Thank you." she took the shirt.

"Kirro-senpai, I don't mean to be rude, but, are you...?" Haruhi began, turning while Kirro changed.

"Haruhi, are you trying to ask me if I'm bisexual?" she chuckled. "Don't worry, you're not being rude. I don't mind."

"Well, it's just that, you never show much interest in either gender... Kyouya-senpai seems to be the only person I've ever seen you interested in." Haruhi tried to explain.

"That's true, but, surprisingly or unsurprisingly enough, Haruhi, I am indeed bisexual, well technically the better term is pansexual." she smirked.

"Does anyone...know?"

"Well, I've never 'come out' if that's what you're asking. But, I know that at least my mother and younger sister know, they probably think I'm hiding it. And Kyouya definitely knows, he knows everything, even if so far my only romantic interests have been him." she laughed.

Haruhi was silent.

"I'm not going to 'come out' though. If someone wants my honest opinion, they can ask me. I've never hidden the fact that I am what I am. But, I think that no one should be assumed 'straight'."

"That's a nice way of thinking."

"And, just between you and me, I've often wondered about quite a few people we know. But, I'm not going to say anything about anyone and we're going to forget this conversation ever happened and you'll just have to be content with the fact that you, little Haruhi are the only person in the vacationing Host Club that perhaps only likes boys." she buttoned her pants, walking out of the bathroom.

...

"That's a different shirt." Kyouya remarked, pointing at the baseball shirt Kirro borrowed from Haruhi.

"Yeah, it's Haruhi's, the Twins spilled tea all over mine." she sighed.

"Something on your mind?" he asked, grabbing her hand and sitting on the couch with her.

"Kyouya...you know, right?"

"Know what?" he inquired, she smiled, laying her head on his shoulder.

"It's complicated." she sighed again. She shared a look with him, one that said, "You constantly read me mind, so do it now."

"Oh, that." he smiled. "Of course I know about that."

"Is it...?"

"Listen, Kirro, if I had a problem with you, I wouldn't be here right now." he chuckled. "You would still be the same to me straight as you are now, so, I have no problem with it. Because, well, I know you'll never cheat on me." he smirked.

"I don't know if that's sweet because you trust me, or if that's arrogant because of your ego. But, right now I really don't care." she kissed him, again and again and again. "I'm just going to pay attention to the understanding part of what you said."

...

'Oh, wow, has the time here really passed so quickly?' Kirro gave a little turn in her mirror. 'I love Halloween!' she smiled, exposing the little vampire fangs. Her red and black dress was covered in messy layers of thin black lace. The skirt was just black but the top was red with black swirls. It was strapless, but her shawl had long sleeves made of the black lace. The skirt went down to her black leather boots. She wore a crimson curly wig, the bangs hung in front of her face and the rest was pulled back into a sloppy high ponytail. Her lips were black along with the area around his eyes.

"Kirro, are you ready to go?" Kyouya smiled at her, waiting at the door frame.

"Yes, nice costume, but, don't you think Tamaki is going to get jealous?" she chuckled.

"That's what I wanted." he replied, arrogantly. His costume consisted of a metallic gray and black vest over a simple long-sleeved shirt and black slacks and black leather boots. He wore a black and swirling gray cape with white fur trim. Atop his head a golden crown.

"Of course, but, the thing I don't get is that you're the Shadow King normally, why not diversify?" she smirked.

"Watch it." he raised an eyebrow. Leaning down to kiss her.

She smiled again, "How in the hell did everyone convince you to go with us to the haunted house anyway?"

"Well, if I had chosen to stay here today, how else would I show off my costume?"

"Ah, good point." they exited her apartment, Haruhi and Tamaki were waiting on them.

"Kyouya, what in the world?" Tamaki went wide-eyed. "I'm the king!"

Kyouya smirked, "What's wrong with my costume? You were king of the Host Club, which is on vacation. So, technically you're reign of terror has been suspended."

Kirro smiled at Haruhi, "Is it just me, or do you think Kyouya would be better at the whole reign of terror thing? Haruhi, that is an adorable costume!"

Haruhi's costume was a simple fawn and white colored dress with a fawn poncho shaped like wings, the hood of the poncho was a little owl face.

"I agree. Thank you, Kirro-senpai."

"You're welcome."

"Plus, Tamaki, is it really that bad? You can be the King's Sorcerer." Kyouya antagonized him.

"Yes, it is really that bad! I may be dressed as a warlock but I'm still King!" the blond blew up. He was a wizard. His blue and purple cape and vest were decorated with silver stars and moons, he wore a plain white shirt and black pants. He held a simple black wand and wore a large pointed hat of the same material as the vest.

"King of what, Tono?" the Twins ran up, dressed as classically green-skinned zombies. "You don't have a Kingdom anymore. We shouldn't even be calling you Tono!" they laughed.

"Really? Then what's Kyouya's kingdom?" he pointed at the smug Shadow King.

"Well, shadows obviously." Kaoru pointed out.

"Yeah, and those are everywhere." Hikaru added.

"But shadows can't be a kingdom, they're not an actual location." he fought.

Kirro and Haruhi stood back, marveling at the sheer idiocy of the argument. And the Twins were only adding fuel to the fire.

"Locations don't exactly make the kingdom. More importantly you would need subjects, and another monarch to take over if you die." Kyouya stated, smirking still.

"If one of each of us were to join one of you, then we could count as subjects. And if Kyouya-senpai's the Shadow King, then, Kirro-senpai could easily pull off the Shadow Queen." the Twins explained.

"Please don't let that title stick." the newly proclaimed Shadow Queen mumbled. "I'm not a Shadow Queen, I'm a vampire!" she tried, pointing to the fake fangs in her mouth.

"Which would mean, Tono..." they ignored her.

"The Magic Light Host King!" Tamaki inserted.

"No way in hell." Hikaru sneered.

"That's way too annoying." Kaoru commented.

"So Light King." they shortened it.

"But, that's not as good!" Tamaki whined.

"Which would mean Haru-chan's the Light Queen~!" Hani jumped into the conversation, the little blond dressed as a wolf had apparently been eavesdropping. A Robin Hood-esque Mori followed his cousin along.

Haruhi sighed, slightly annoyed now.

"Exactly, and, if the two 'Kings' really want to settle this..." Hikaru began, still grinning.

"...then we could have a scare-off, since it's Halloween and all." Kaoru ended with the same grin.

Kirro sighed, "I thought I said no games."

"Well, it's technically not a game, more of a competition." the Twins explained. "And whoever doesn't get scared at the haunted house today wins and is the real King."

Kyouya chuckled. "That has to be the worst idea I have ever-"

Tamaki interrupted him, "We'll do it! It sounds like so much fun! I can easily prove my bravery as a gentleman! And this way, Kyouya can't use any tricks or cheat to win, so it's an honest match!"

"Please, Tamaki, I don't resort to cheating to win anything. I'm just a very strategical planner."

"Then prove it."

The Shadow King sighed, "Fine, I will."

"Great!" the zombies beamed. "But, we're on the Shadow Kingdom's side, because Tono is definitely going to lose!"

"I am not." the magician sulked.

"But, you can't just underestimate bravery like that~!" Hani nodded. "Tama-chan's a brave person~!"

"Yeah." Mori agreed.

"Then you can join the Light Kingdom's side." Kaoru said.

"Okay then, it's decided the Let's Decide Who the Real King is on Basis of Bravery and Honesty Battle begins!" Hikaru declared.

'That's an obnoxiously long title.'

"Wait, when did we agree to this?" Kirro and Haruhi asked, slightly irked.

They were promptly dragged off by zombies.

...

"You know, if we're to revisit a previous subject, how on earth did you let everyone talk you into accompanying us, Kirro?" Kyouya asked as they waited in the hall of the haunted house. "You're most likely one of the easiest people to scare that I've ever met."

"I can be brave." the little vampire retorted.

"No you can't." the Twins snickered. "You're afraid of pretty much everything, Kirro-senpai." they teased.

"Behave yourselves, boys." she put on her haughtiest aura. "You think something as cheap as a haunted house could scare me?"

"This isn't one of those cheap haunted houses." Hikaru scoffed.

"It's the real deal, they market it out every Halloween." Kaoru smirked.

"It is a very old house after all, and the scene of quite a few bloody murders." they lied.

"And also it's rumored that it was built on a sacred burial ground of an ancient and extinct culture." Hikaru continued.

"But, weren't there also a lot of satanic rituals performed here?" Kaoru carried on.

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" she deadpanned.

"Well...no, but, now we've got you thinking about it, which means you'll be even more freaked out when the employees here try to scare you." they grinned.

'Damn them.' she glared. 'But, you know, now that they mention it, there are quite a lot of those scary television shows that tell true stories about ghosts.'

"Really, Kirro?" Kyouya raised an eyebrow. "Do you really believe in those television shows? They're just a bunch of phony ghost stories their stations use to raise their ratings." he had apparently read her mind.

"Kyouya-senpai! Don't spoil our fun!" the zombies pouted.

"Well, Twins, I'm trying to win a competition, we can't have my queen being the reason we lost." he smirked, adjusting his crown.

"I'm not a queen, I'm a vampire." Kirro argued.

She was ignored, "Speaking of competition, I wonder if Tono's gone in yet?" Hikaru mused.

"Yeah, the Light team was taken to a different hall." Kaoru mused.

"Well, we have no way of knowing." Kyouya smiled. "But, my bet is, if he is going through it as we speak, Tamaki's probably screeching about everything, even those things that aren't meant to be scary."

"Excuse me, guests, your time has come." a creepy voice asked from the corner of the hall. Kirro would be lying if she had said she wasn't reminded of Nekozawa.

The creepy voice, who was a woman dressed as a bloody nurse, complete with grotesque make up, led them into the first room, which appeared to be adorned with hanging corpses wrapped in burlap sacks. Kirro made her way through the room easily knowing that the corpses were fake, their order was Nurse-Kyouya-Kirro-Kaoru-Hikaru. And really she wasn't the first to be scared, which was unexpected.

"Come on, this place is already lame." she heard Hikaru whisper.

"Well, they at least put some effort into-woah!" Kaoru twisted around, staring at one of the now-thrashing corpses.

Hikaru started laughing, "Kaoru, it's robotic, I can't believe you fell for that!"

"Hey, I wasn't scared, Hikaru, I just wasn't expecting it!" he retorted with a glare.

Kirro had to stifle a giggle, glad that it wasn't her for a change, she probably would have screamed if she had been the one that brushed up against the thrashing fake corpse.

"Sorry about that dears, we haven't hired someone who could properly hang a man in years." the nurse said in her creepy voice.

Kirro could tell Kyouya wasn't so amused as annoyed at the attempt to scare him.

The second room was one of the infamous autopsy rooms, it looked pretty gruesome, but that was because the lights were flashing so no one could get a clear image. The doctors crowded the table all soaked in fake blood and organs seemed to litter the area around them. Suddenly the 'patient' sat up screaming and fighting. If you didn't like loud noises, you probably would have been scared but, if not then really it was pointless.

The third room was terrifying if you hated clowns.

The fourth room contained an exorcism, Kirro had to admit, the girl being exorcized had quite a pair of lungs, she screamed bloody murder as the priest banished the demons from her body. Kirro was sure the nurse had been talking this whole time, but, she really had only been paying attention to the scenery, not particularly scared but not comfortable.

The fifth room was the prisoner room, complete with deranged murders slamming themselves up against cell bars.

The sixth room was a little creepier it was a little tight space and they walked along a narrow passageway, it felt like something was reaching out to grab them from the other side of the thin curtain like walls around them.

The seventh room was devoted to a mad scientist who had a convincing laugh.

And then the eighth room came along, it spanned the half of basement and it was creepy. It looked like an old passage to a boiler room of some kind, complete with leaky ceiling, buzzing fluorescent lights that flickered and grimy tiled walls and floors. Nothing special happened in it, there were a few employees that creeped out of corners and separate hallways, but other than that it wasn't very special.

Lastly was the ninth room, the nurse opened the door for them, and said, "Sorry, I'm needed elsewhere, but if you walk through here you'll find your way out." with that she left.

Kyouya was the first to walk into the room, he immediately turned and grabbed Kirro's hand. For a moment she thought that perhaps he was scared, and then she realized how unlikely that was and looked past him, into the room. Her eyes went wide, the room was completely dark.

"Come on, I'm right here." he tried and she finally gulped down her fear and braved the darkness. "Don't be scared."

"You really are afraid of the dark, huh, Kirro-senpai?" Kaoru asked.

"Y-yes." she admitted.

"Hey, we're not that cruel, don't think we're gonna exploit your phobias." Hikaru assured her.

"Thanks." she whispered.

The dark room happened to be a semi-simple maze. Kyouya was just getting annoyed as he bumped into the barriers, but, Kirro kept squeaking as she ran into anything. Finally, Kyouya gave up on coaxing her through the dark and picked her up bridal style. She clung to him wishing her eyes would adjust. After what seemed like hours they finally made their way up a flight of very dimly lit steps to the exit.

She was so glad to be out of the darkness, even if it was night time outside it was brighter than before. Though, as she was walking out she ran right into someone because her eyes still hadn't adjusted. She, and whoever she had run into shrieked. Kyouya stopped her, "Really? We exit the haunted house and now you scream?" he chuckled.

Kirro looked up to see that the person she had run into was Tamaki.

"Kyouya, you won." Mori, who was waiting for them with the rest of their group, said simply.

"Really now?" Kyouya smirked, looking straight at Tamaki, who was still calming down.

"Yeah, the moment he stepped into that room with all of the hanged people and one of them brushed up against them he started freaking out." the little Haruhi owl smiled.

"But, Tama-chan tried to be brave~!" Hani the wolf cheered.

"Tono, that place wasn't even that scary!" Hikaru was snide.

"The only time any of us were scared was in that dark room." Kaoru added snickering.

"H-hey shut up you two! That place was really realistic!" the magician whined.

"Whatever, the Shadow Kingdom still wins!" the Twins laughed.

...

Kirro sighed, letting her hair fall down, "I love Halloween but I'm glad that's over." she smiled.

"I have to admit, you were pretty brave." Kyouya smirked.

"Told you." she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Of course, if they didn't have that dark room, I wouldn't of been scared at all."

"Yes, but, I was there to help you through it." he unpinned his cape.

Kirro thought about it and decided he should receive some form of reward and decided to appeal to his ego, "Naturally, My King."

He grinned then, "Nice choice of words, My Queen." he pulled her to him and they spent the remaining hours of Halloween on the couch.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Smile and Test.**

The last few weeks had been hectic and passed so quickly Kirro could hardly tell they had even happened. But, it was the twenty-second of November, which meant only one thing.

'It's Kyouya's birthday.' she thought as she woke up.

Last week she had decided something. She couldn't think of anything to buy for him, and she had no idea on anything she could make for him. She had panicked a bit, and then she thought of something. His birthday was on a Saturday. And, as far as she knew no one else was planning on throwing him a party, at least not one in the morning.

So, a little thought worked its way into her mind. Over the last few months whenever Kirro and Kyouya were left alone with nothing to do, it ended up in some kind of steamy interaction. Like yesterday when she was suddenly grabbed and pulled into his embrace, it didn't take long before they were on the floor kissing.

Well, why shouldn't she give him a nice gift on his birthday?

But still the mere idea of what she was going to do with him today made her blush. She couldn't deny that she was looking forward to it, though.

So, with one last determined breath she stood up and made her way into the lion's den.

"Kyouya, wake up." she said softly in singsong.

He didn't respond.

"You know what today is, don't you?" she smiled, leaning over the bed.

He tiredly opened one eye and glared at her. He turned over to lie on his back, "So, you do have a death wish." he growled.

She smirked, straddling his hips and placing her hands on the bed beneath him, "Smile, it's your birthday." she laughed a little. "Odd that you would be the one to forget that."

His eyes narrowed, "What? No, it's not..."

"It's the twenty-second of November, you're eighteen, Kyouya. How does it feel?" she grinned.

He seemed to be caught of guard, then raised an eyebrow, "I don't feel different."

'Well, might as well...' she leaned in closer, "Do you want to?" she kissed his neck.

It was suddenly very warm in the room.

At first, Kyouya wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation, it was his birthday and Kirro was seated on his hips in his bed and she was kissing his neck and making an effort to sound suggestive. All at once he wasn't sleepy anymore.

"Is this my birthday present?" he turned to her ear, running his hand through her hair.

"Would you like something else?" she pushed him back down on the bed.

"No, this is great." he smirked, unbuttoning his night shirt.

She pulled her shirt off over her head and leaned back down to kiss him. She could feel his smile on her lips.

"One request." he said as she pulled away.

She raised an eyebrow, trying to hide her nervousness.

"I'm on top." he told her as he pushed her back and beneath him.

"That wasn't a request." she giggled as he ran his fingers down her stomach. She tried to act seductive but she was already blushing, though, she was kind of thankful that he took the lead. She only had half of an idea on what to do.

His chuckle made her focus again, "Don't be nervous." he said simply. He kissed her again, his tongue meeting with hers as she closed her eyes.

He pulled away and began kissing down her neck, nipping at her collar bone. She raised her torso off the bed a bit, allowing him to undo the clasps of her bra. He pulled it off of her arms and she linked her hands around his neck. He kissed her breasts, licking the nipples as she ran her hands up his back and into his hair, quieting her moan. He sucked and bit gently and she felt her entire body grow hotter.

She hated and loved how he could do this to her.

"K-kyouya..." she whimpered. He took her wrists, holding with one hand above her head, she didn't complain.

He kissed down her stomach, dipping his tongue into her navel. With his free hand he pushed down her shorts, and began drawing little circles on her hip bone.

She inhaled deeply, wiggling out of her shorts.

He exhaled, kissing her hip. He let go of her hands, and raised himself to her face again, "Kirro, it's okay." he kissed her. She wouldn't meet his eyes, she looked to the side, blushing wildly. "I love you." he cocked his head. "Look at me."

She sheepishly met his eyes, "I love you, too." she said in a whisper.

He smiled, pushing his pajama pants down and off, "Ready?"

She nodded and his fingers brushed the lace on her panties.

"Ah! I'm so sorry!"

Kyouya's eyes widened at the voice.

Kirro's face reddened as she covered her naked breasts.

An equally red faced Tamaki ran out of Kyouya's room.

They heard the front door shut and someone was talking but they couldn't make it out.

They stared at each other, both wide eyed, unsure of what to do. Finally, Kyouya sighed, almost aggravated , "I didn't even hear him come in..." he got off the bed, picking up Kirro's clothes and handing them to her before putting on his pajama pants. "I'm going to go talk to him." he buttoned his shirt up and grabbed his glasses.

When he left, Kirro was still seated on his bed, her face still red. She quickly dressed and walked out into his living room.

"I should have knocked." she heard Tamaki say from the hallway.

She was so embarrassed. Oddly, she felt like a kid that had been caught eating sweets before dinner.

'Oh God, I hope I don't have to have a talk with Tamaki.' she was silently praying that Kyouya would be able to resolve the problem. She thanked him for not being awkward like she was.

But, really was there a problem with what they had been about to do? When she had turned seventeen her mother suggested she be put on birth control, "Not because I think you're going to be sexually active, but, because I think it would just be better to be prepared." her mother had assured her. And, she loved Kyouya and trusted him. At times he made it hard to resist him but he never pushed her. She doubted that he would ever intentionally hurt her. She had carefully thought her decision through over the last few weeks and she didn't think it would really damage their relationship.

'So, no, there is no problem with what we were about to do. Nobody is at fault here, it was just an accident that Tamaki walked in.' she was still embarrassed, however.

Kyouya walked back into his apartment, shutting the door behind him and sighing, "He promised he wouldn't tell anyone." he stated simply.

"I wasn't worried that he would." she said from his couch.

He smiled, sitting down next to her and embracing her. They sat like that for a while, quietly he held her. "And he didn't see anything, either."

"That's good." she would have never been able to talk to Tamaki ever again if he had seen her half-naked. "I'm sorry about not having another present for you." she whispered her apology.

"Kirro, you think I really want something from you?" he chuckled. "To think that you were going to give me what you were. Kirro, that's something that you can never get back. So really, it is the thought that counts. Besides, it will happen when it happens."

She smiled resting her head on his chest.

"But, though I like just sitting here, we have to get going. Tamaki came in because he was planning a surprise party for me. So, we're going to have to get dressed."

She let out a little whine, "Why didn't he tell me?" she raised her eyebrows, pouting.

"Because you can't keep secrets." he kissed her quickly on the lips.

"Yes I can!" she argued lightheartedly.

"You also can't lie." he laughed. "Now are you going to go or am I going to have to carry you?"

"I can-"

"Too late." he picked her up bridal style, smirking.

She struggled to balance herself, though she probably wouldn't fall, "H-hey, I can walk!"

"It's my birthday, I can do what I want." he justified himself.

...

Kirro hadn't been to a birthday party in years, she never had any for herself and she was never invited to Margot's and she felt awkward hanging out with Aneleigh's friends. The Hosts never celebrated their birthdays back in Japan because it would be too hectic, but, now she was wondering if anything could be just as hectic as this. It was kind of funny, they celebrated Kyouya's in Tamaki's apartment and it was crazy. The Twins were running around trying to catch Tamaki because he was acting weird, Hani ate most of the cake that Haruhi baked but really since Kyouya disliked sweets it didn't really matter anyway, when the Twins were done chasing Tamaki they wouldn't stop pestering everyone else. At least Haruhi was able to shut them up eventually.

'Really it was mostly the Twins that were causing problems.'

But, even though it was crazy, it was still nice because everyone was together and for once there weren't any problems. So it was refreshing.

Tamaki and Haruhi gave Kyouya a coupon book, oddly enough. Mori got him a nice watch, Hani gave him a tiny purple bunny plush that he had already named Dark Usa-chan.

The Twins didn't know what to get him other than a game console and a couple of games for it.

"So, what did you get for Kyouya-senpai, Kirro-senpai?" the doppelgangers asked in unison.

"It's a secret." she pressed her finger to her lips. "So don't be nosy."

They shared a look, unamused by her attitude.

"So you didn't get him anything?" Kaoru accused.

"That's not very nice, Kirro-senpai." Hikaru tsked.

"No, I got him something. I just can't tell you two what it is because you two are too nosy." she said simply, smiling at them.

They blinked, thinking about it, then their mouths dropped open, "No way Kirro-senpai! You did that as a present!"

"No!" she went wide eyed. "Get your mind out of the gutter you two!" she was trying to keep herself from blushing.

"That's all the confirmation we needed." they smiled in triumph. "We didn't say we were thinking of anything specific for sure."

"I hate you boys." she scoffed.

"We know you don't."

She glared at them as they walked off to wreak havoc elsewhere.

...

"So, did you have a nice birthday?" Kirro chuckled as they walked back to their apartments.

"It was certainly...eventful. Yes, it was nice. And now I can rest, the Twins wore me out today..."

"Those two are even able to try my patience, sleeping sounds great." she yawned then.

"One last birthday request?" he asked as she opened the door to her apartment.

"Of course." she smiled, stepping aside so he could enter, she shut the door behind him.

"Stay with me tonight?" he sat on the arm of her couch, holding his arms out waiting for her.

"I'd love to." she smiled and skipped up to embrace him, pushing the two of them onto the couch.

He caught her and whispered into her ear, "Sometimes I wonder how you're going to react on that day."

"What was that?" she cocked her head, looking down at him.

"I didn't say anything." he lied.

"Weird, I must be more tired than I thought."

"Must be."

...

"Kirro, wake up, you might want to hear this." Kyouya lightly shook her shoulder.

She tried to turn but she was so tired, she pulled at the covers weakly.

"Kirro." his voice warned of his intentions. He turned her over to lie on her back, she lay completely defenseless beneath him.

"Kyouya, you're not being fair. I'm too tired to play." she smiled and raised an eyebrow.

He sighed, "I'm not in the mood to play. But, we're going to Spain today."

That woke her up, "What? Why is the notice so short? Why are we going to Spain?"

"Hold on. Let me explain." he smirked.

...

Haruhi's reaction was much like Kirro's, "Eh? Spain?"

"Yes. Spain." Kyouya replied simply as everyone watched him pack up the last few things he wanted to take. "Thanksgiving plus the weekend makes it a three-day holiday. That's enough time to go and come back."

"Enough time, Kyouya-senpai?" the Twins questioned.

"My father summoned me." he ran a hand through his hair. "There's a woman he wants me to meet."

Nearly everyone's mouth fell open.

It was last minute, but, they all quickly packed up and went to Spain.

Kirro had never once been to Spain though she had often traveled before, she had to admit it was obvious why the country was a popular vacation spot. It was beautiful.

"La Sagrada Familia!" Tamaki marveled as he passed by yet another landmark.

Even Haruhi was captivated by the atmosphere.

"There's more built there since we were here last time~!" Hani announced from Mori's shoulders. "Isn't that right, Takashi~?"

"Yeah."

"Hikaru, Hikaru, do you want to go up inside the tower?" Kaoru asked.

"Of course!" his twin replied.

"Have you all been here before?" Haruhi asked everyone.

"Takashi and I have been here on a family vacation and a school trip~!" Hani smiled.

"Actually, it's my first time here, too, Haruhi." Kirro chuckled, wrapping her scarf around her neck.

"We've been here five...no, six times, maybe." the Twins bragged.

"That many times?" Haruhi stared in disbelief.

"Yeah, the two of us have been hiding something." they embraced in a rather over the top fluffy twincest act. "We love Spain!"

Kirro just raised an eyebrow, ashamed to be associated with the two.

"Listen up you two newcomers! Spain is one of the world's treasuries of heritage!"

"By the way among the attractions in Barcelona are the Picasso and the Dali art museums." Kaoru said leaning with his elbow on Kirro's shoulder. "But our recommendation of course is the modernismo architecture tour."

"Featuring the work of Antonio Gaudi and Domemech I Montane!" Hikaru said leaning with his elbow on Haruhi's shoulder. "This is the only place in Spain that, during the Industrial Revolution, blossomed with Catalonian art nouveau."

"It's therefore called the Paris of the South!" the two cried tears of mirth.

"Spain is a passionate country." Mori added.

"Spain is the country of siestas and churros~!" Hani added, holding a churro.

"It's a country with a history of splendor and oppression." Tamaki stuck one of his dramatic poses. "It's the country that gave us the masterpieces 'Carmen' and 'Don Quixote'."

The four boys all posed then declaring, "Viva Spain!"

Kyouya spoke up then, "Hey! Idiot Crew, are you done, yet?"

"Kyouya-senpai! Kyouya-senpai!" the Twins ran up to him. "We want to go to the hospital De Sant Pau! But, it's under construction so we can't go inside! Since you're the son of a healthcare conglomerate owning family we should be able to get a tour!"

"I wonder what nonsense you two are mumbling?" he brushed off their request.

Tamaki's eyes lit up, "I'd like to see the path Don Quixote traveled! Traveling on a horse from La Mancha would be an adventure!"

"When you're on your own time you can spend years doing something like that." Kyouya shot him down.

"Come to think of it, isn't Tono a lot like Don Quixote?"

"He does live inside his own delusional world."

"Say what?" King snapped. "It's no exaggeration to say there was no freer spirit in the world than Don Quixote! He is the embodiment of a spirit that no outside force could control! Others may laugh at him, but I, by no means, think he is laughable."

"And that's why we're laughing." the Twins added.

"If everyone's hearts are free then we're free to laugh, right~?"

"Hey, why are you so interested in Don Quixote? Could he be your uncle?" Kaoru asked.

"Oh, come on boys. Don't pick on him so much. Don Quixote's tale is really good." Kirro tried.

Kyouya was the only one who wasn't obsessing about Spain. Even Haruhi had her eye on the food.

Suddenly, the Twins broke free to say something, "Speaking of why we're here, Kyouya-senpai has yet to explain! Is it something like a marriage partner meeting? You know we'd never miss something like that! Especially so we could see how Kirro-senpai reacts."

"Be quiet, you two." Kirro rolled her eyes.

"The woman you're here to meet is Akito's potential marriage partner, right~?" Hani clarified correctly. "But, why were you summoned~?"

"The story is that she is the only daughter of the Shouji General's owner. She's in the middle of studying abroad at the University of Madrid. My father is here in Barcelona for an academic conference, he also summoned Akito-niisan. Because it's a good opportunity to meet a bit before the marriage interview, generally, that's the flow of it." Kyouya explained to them. "She arrived in Barcelona today, but, due to his schedule at the university, Akito-niisan will be delayed two days."

"I see, so, you're here to escort her until then, right?" Tamaki asked, calmed down.

"Shouji General's one of Japan's top oil companies, right?" Haruhi asked now.

"Yes, it rose to prominence during the previous generation. It isn't an established family yet, but, it's assets are considerable." he lifted a finger to his chin. "I don't mean to be rude, but, there really isn't a need for an escort."

When they arrived at the place they would be staying for the weekend, they met up with Kyouya's father who introduced them to the aforementioned woman.

"Kyouya, let me introduce you. This is Shouji Nanako-san." he said with a smile.

"Please to meet you." she said to them. Her wavy dark brown hair was pulled back. She smiled but it didn't seem to meet her dark brown eyes. She was beautiful in an almost professional way.

"This is my third son, Kyouya." Yoshio Ootori gestured to Kyouya.

"Oh my, you came here all the way from Boston? I hope it didn't trouble you." she laughed, lightheartedly.

"Oh no, it was no problem at all." Kyouya replied politely.

'There's something off about her.' Kirro thought from her spot among everyone else half of the room away.

It a very Host Club way, everyone was snooping as usual.

"I hear you're studying sociology at the University of Madrid." Kyouya opened the conversation as they sat down and accepted tea.

"Yes, I'm majoring in Cultural Anthropology." she replied.

"Is this your first time in Barcelona?"

"No, I've been here many times." she laughed. "Kyouya-san, what university do you attend?"

"No, I'm still in high school."

She was silent for a bit, "Oh, that's a good joke, Kyouya-san."

Everyone else had to keep from laughing.

"Pfft! Good one, Carmen." the Twins laughed, they had taken to calling her Carmen like the woman from the opera of the same name.

"Doesn't she give off a good vibe?"

"Now then, Kyouya, I have to get to work."

"Yes, father."

As Kyouya stood to say goodbye to his father, his father whispered something to him on the way out that no one else caught or perhaps even noticed.

"Alright! Let's determine rooms by drawing lots!" the Twins announced. "There are three double rooms."

"I've already got a room." Kirro smiled, excusing herself from the silly game.

Kaoru and Hikaru stuck their tongues out at her, "Anyway, it's been a long time since we've been on a trip, so, why don't we room with someone who isn't our usual partner."

"I didn't here you earlier, we're drawing lots?" Tamaki freaked out.

"It would be nice to share a room with Haru-chan~!"

"Wait, this isn't a laughing matter!" Tamaki hugged Haruhi. "This is our first trip as a loving couple so it should be like a honeymoon! Haruhi and I, we're sharing a room!"

"No, I'll have to pass on that." Haruhi shot him down.

"No? Why not?" his eyes widened.

"Eh? It's because..."

"Because what?" he smiled. "Hm? Why not?"

Haruhi's face turned bright red, "I-I have to use the restroom! Kirro-senpai, please come with me!"

"But Haruhi-!" she got dragged down the hallway by the younger girl.

She was pulled into the woman's restroom.

"Haruhi? What's wrong?" Kirro smiled at the younger girl who was still blushing. "I mean, besides the forwardness?"

"W-well... Tamaki-senpai threw me off... Since we... Since we started dating sometimes... How can I put it... My composure maybe... How should I deal with the way a person changed? I've never..." she tried to find out how to say what was on her mind.

"Oh, I get it. Let me help, little Haruhi."

There was a noise and the two looked over to the window where Nanako sat on the window sill, about to jump out.

"Ah!"

Nanako smiled beautifully, "Oh my, a Japanese girl and an American? If anyone asks, tell them, 'We didn't see anything.'" she took off her high heels and jumped, landing safely on the ground where she was promptly surrounded by Team Kyouya.

As Haruhi and Kirro leaned out the window, Kirro realized something, "So that's what it is."

"What, Kirro-senpai?"

"Why Kyouya's here as an escort."

The bodyguards brought her back to the other room.

"Why the bodyguards?" she asked with a polite but icy smile. "I was just going out to enjoy the weather and get a little fresh air."

"Oh, and so, just like that you jumped from the second-story window?" Kyouya mirrored her icy smile. "I guess common sense went out the window with you. And furthermore, since I'm not familiar with this city, I would not have been able to find you, right? It's quite easy to understand, actually."

She turned her head, "Smart ass. I'll guess I'll just have to cooperate with this inflexible four-eyes."

"I can hear you, you know." his smile remained. "I had a bad feeling from the start." he sighed. "Regardless of Akito-niisan, I would have been summoned to escort someone like you."

"That's a lot of guards." the woman changed the subject. "Are they your father's bodyguards?"

"I wonder what on earth you did to warrant this?" Kyouya smiled again.

"I see my reputation proceeds me."

"It seems right my father expected you to behave this way."

"Heh? Did he summon you to keep me out of trouble? Wow."

"Being wise to the ways of the world is scary, isn't it?"

"What's with all this tension in the air?" Tamaki asked. "Is that really the same woman from earlier?"

"Does that woman have any regard for her own life?" Haruhi asked.

"It seems she may have met her match in Kyouya." Kirro noted.

"She did jump from a second-story window, but, regardless, if she can challenge Kyou-chan then she is no ordinary woman." Hani added.

"We only thought she looked like a Carmen-type woman." the Twins were surprised.

"I suppose now is the time to come clean." the woman finally said. "My previous offense is that I ran away from other marriage interviews before. How could I possibly accept marriage proposals set up by my father?" she leaned in, touching Kyouya's neck until their faces were inches apart. "Therefore, please, do me a favor. Can you just forget about keeping an eye on me?" she smiled.

The Twins turned to Kirro to watch her reaction to the woman's behavior.

"What? Expecting something shadowy?" she asked of them.

"Are you really unaffected by that? You're boyfriend's up against the real Carmen!" they whispered.

"I'm not worried." she cocked her head

Kyouya smiled again, "I can't. Lest my father will scold me."

"My, my, should a son acting as his father's dog be so haughty?" the woman backed up. "Congratulations on being your father's trusted son. I'm envious."

"Oh I see. Is this the popular 'I don't want to walk the path my father has laid for me' defiance pattern?" he riposted. "Since around middle school I've had an amazing mental fortitude. I don't give in to adults."

"Am I hearing you correctly? You can go toe to toe with me? Well, perhaps you can outwit your obedient brothers..." the woman struck with her words. "You have a great deal of self confidence, but you haven't realized how narrow your prospects are. Eventually you'll see just how constrained you are by your family. But, you'll just find a way to justify your constrained life. It's a shame, isn't it?"

'She really is an evil woman, though.'

A murmur of shock went through the group.

"If you understand, perhaps you can look the other way now, straight-laced four-eyes-kun?"

Kyouya sat for a while, still, then he smiled, "Over my dead body you ill-natured woman."

A crackle went through the air.

"It's a black hearted showdown in Spain!" Tamaki quietly shrieked.

"Two people like this were never meant to meet!" Kirro was shocked.

...

On all the outings they had in Spain, the atmosphere was gloomy whenever they hung around Kyouya and Nanako.

"This is such a nice park." Kyouya commented. "The stone benches are magnificently curved and covered with vividly colored tiles. The way the park is laid out is refreshing and communicates a sense of harmony."

"It does, doesn't it? I like this park, too." Nanako agreed. "If there weren't such unpleasant people near us the atmosphere would be more beautiful. It's odd, like my eye sight is failing me."

"Ah, it must be due to your age then? I can introduce you to a good eye specialist."

Kirro could see everyone else planning to run away. Personally, she thought the whole thing was funny if only a bit scary.

"Furthermore, a bunch of your friends came, how unexpected." the woman laughed.

"Yes, though usually their boisterousness is limitless."

Tamaki and the others tried sneaking away. Kyouya grabbed his shoulder and said, "You're not planning on scattering and leaving me alone in an unknown city, are you? We are all traveling together with my bodyguards." he pulled him back.

"Hey Kyouya!" Tamaki struggled.

"Listen, there's no reason to stay confined in the hotel. Furthermore, what reason would I have to be alone with her?"

Nanako looked at them and said, "My, aren't you two close. Are you homos?"

Kirro had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

Kyouya cracked his knuckles.

"I get it! We'll come with you!" Tamaki gave in.

"Tono, you idiot!"

Haruhi and Kirro tried to calm them all down.

"Ah, are you one of the females of the group?" Nanako walked up to Haruhi.

'Does she not recognize her?'

"How old are you two?"

"Sixteen." replied Haruhi.

"You're so cute, would you like some candy?" she gave Haruhi a box. "They're roasted almonds sprinkled with sugar."

Haruhi tried one, "She isn't that scary."

"Oh dear, Haruhi, I do believe she just tried to buy you off." Kirro cocked her head.

"Tono! Your girlfriend just got bribed!"

"Come to think of it, isn't Haruhi weak against adult women like her?"

"Oh no."

Hikaru got mad, "Dammit! Why under honest skies does the mood have to get so strange!"

"I want to have fun going to different places!" Kaoru whined. "Casa Batilo! Casa Mira! The Catalonia concert hall!"

"Oh my, that's quite a list. Do you guys like modernismo?" Nanako asked.

"Like, you say! It's more like my favorite! I love Spanish architecture!"

"The village of Ronda! The Tarragonia Ruins! The mosque of Corba!"

"Heh...How about the grand palace of Alhambra?" she asked.

"To die for!"

"I know!" she had made up her mind. "You guys aren't like that sly four-eyes! I'll get along with you. All right, it's just an impulse but I'll be your guide!"

"Does she mean she'll be our tour guide~?"

"Of course it means we're escaping! I've got these great legs to do it!" she ran a hand down her leg.

"This is not an opportunity to show off your ugly legs! Shut it down, please." Kyouya sighed.

Nanako pretended like she didn't hear the comment. Instead she turned to Kirro, "Now, what will bribe you?"

"So forward." Kirro smiled.

"Good luck, getting to her Carmen-san!" Kaoru laughed.

"Yeah, she's your opponent's girlfriend!" Hikaru laughed.

"But regardless, Kirro-senpai's probably already had one of her bad feelings about you, which means she'll probably try to avoid you at all costs!"

"Kirro, is that your name?" the woman went to work. "It's a pretty name, but, you're not Japanese are you?"

"No."

"Kirro's from California~!" Hani revealed.

"Ah, did you move to Japan then?"

She nodded.

"I've heard of you, then. Kirro Toryo, the artist." she laughed. "You're really good for such a young age!"

"Tha-Thank you!" Kirro blushed.

"And she got her!" the Twins announced.

"To think a girl like you would go out with that four-eyes."

Kirro had to break away from her, she wouldn't go either way in this showdown. She preferred to remain neutral.

...

They explored quite a few attractions of Barcelona. It really was a beautiful cultural place. And then they went out to eat at a great place that Nanako had recommended.

"As for the bill. It's so cheap that that stingy boy over there will pay. So enjoy yourselves!" Nanako laughed.

"I think concerning oneself with cost is, to a large extent, a concern of the poor. Of course I can pay this much." anyone could feel the lightning in the air.

"L-let's enjoy our meal~?"

"Carmen-san, is it true that you have been here for three years?" the Twins asked. "Have you seen a lot of Spain?"

"Yes, I have. During holidays I travel here and there." she looked into her wine glass. "The first time I came here was on a family vacation. I was around ten at the time. Since then I've come back to visit many times. And then I finally decided to go to a university."

"There's still so much to see, isn't there~?"

"You could say I was bewitched. Spain has a lot of magic."

"Magic?" that caught Tamaki's attention.

"Speaking of which, did anyone drink from that fountain a while back?"

"Oh, I did." he answered.

"Eh? You drank from it?" she freaked out.

"Eh?"

"I see... You had some... It's too late something troublesome will befall you..."

"Eh?" he was freaking out.

"People who drink the water of that fountain will certainly return to Spain someday!"

He cowered in the corner.

"Or so the legend goes."

"Isn't that an absurd legend?" the Twins asked.

"It doesn't sound like a bad curse." Kirro laughed.

"You don't think it should be taken seriously?" she looked serene then. "This land gave rise to many customs and beliefs. Even though those beliefs are old and weathered. They took root and multiplied to become this land's color."

Haruhi spoke up, "Oh, do you study Cultural Anthropology? Is it your major?"

"Yes. I want to study a lot of cultures as I travel. I want to travel with one bag. Stay in cheap hotels. And drink the night away with various people as I travel. I want to learn the color of different lands. Therefore, I don't have time for marriage."

'Oh, I get it. I see how Carmen and Don Quixote play into this. She's quite the strong and free spirit.'

"But, people haven't given any thought as to why I left home."

"...Have you told your father this?" Kyouya asked.

"I've told him several times. But..." she sighed, setting down her glass. "It always erupts into a huge fight. We've never been able to have an honest conversation about it. Our company rose in only one generation but, oil prospects are dwindling and my father has become frantic. From the start he's always had that 'Child of Edo' spirit but, now his head is only filled with work. Father speaks of the engagement to Ootori like a joint business prospect. Our family history is short, so my father wants to forge a relationship with an upper class family. It's sad that my father is shamelessly acting this way. I can't play the role I'm supposed to and it's like I'm going against my family." she suddenly collapsed to sleep with her head resting on the table.

"...Well, there's no reason why family shouldn't be taken in to consideration, right~?" Hani began.

"Yeah." Mori agreed. "Running away is just an easy way out."

"Really?" the Twins asked.

"The number of guards is even too much for me."

"But, Mori-senpai, you're a model citizen."

"It's not that I'm a model citizen. It's just that, if I was serious, I would take my family into everything, though, she's here."

"All right then." King spoke up. 'Let's do something about it."

"Do what, Tono?"

"It goes without saying, the plan to free the imprisoned princess. It will be called 'The Don Quixote Plan'."

...

Kirro retired to the room she shared with Kyouya, it had only one bed but really that didn't bother her obviously. She was so glad to be able to rest. Today had been tiring.

She figured Kyouya would be talking to Tamaki about his plan. She showered and changed into her pajamas. When she came out, Kyouya was reclining on the bed.

He chuckled, "Do you know how hard it was to resist joining you in the shower?"

She blushed, "You really are a pervert, Kyouya." she sat down next to him on the bed regardless.

"So, what do you think about Tamaki's plan?" he asked her.

"It's troublesome. But, I don't your father summoned you just so you could keep Miss Nanako from escaping. So, it wouldn't hurt to try." she admitted.

"You really think that?" he smirked, kissing her.

"You would know if I was lying."

...

The entirety of the next day was spent much like the day prior to it. More exploring and sight-seeing.

But, at the end of the day everyone met up in Kyouya and Kirro's hotel room, because Kyouya had decided to go along with the plan.

Kirro was happy at how planning made her feel of use again. It was refreshing to acquire the costumes, she felt like the Art Director again.

...

They were ready by the last day.

As the marriage interview was set up, the Hosts were positioned everywhere. Tamaki, disguised as a waiter, handed Kyouya's older brother Akito a note that said Don Quixote is here and when Akito recognized him he ran behind a curtain to change into one of Don Quixote's traveling knights. Which meant shiny suits of armor for Tamaki, the Twins and the seniors. As they distracted everyone, Haruhi and Kirro, cleverly disguised as themselves. led Nanako away into a hallway. She could have run away if she wanted to, there was a car waiting outside.

But first, she had to listen to what Kyouya had to say, "I don't think living to live one's life as one pleases is a bad thing. Three years ago thanks to a certain boy I realized that. Therefore, I won't deny having any of those feelings. I have my place as the third son of the Ootori family. Just as you have as the eldest daughter of the Shouji family. Neither of us can escape those facts. I have no interest in your self indulgent thinking, running from place to place solves nothing! If you seriously have something you want to do, then you must go through the proper channels to do it! Give your father and your family at least a little consideration! Don't lose sight of the pride of being the Shouji's only oldest daughter!" he argued.

Nanako was silent for a while before, "I'm going back, please send the car away."

Kirro almost laughed when she saw the havoc that the rest of the club had caused as they walked in the door.

"Nanako!" her father yelled. "Where have you been until now? Are you behind this noisy disruption? Explain what's going on!"

"Father please listen." she sighed. "I have a path I must follow. I'm sorry that I cannot fulfill my role, but, I will promise that I will never do anything to bring shame on our family. Since you first brought me to this country, I began to embrace a dream, one that I must fulfill. Please allow me to."

And that was that.

They began packing to leave for Boston and Nanako even stayed around long enough to thank them. And Kyouya got congratulated for his efforts by his father.

"Woah, that's a smile that I haven't seen in a while." Kirro chuckled as Kyouya entered their hotel room. "It was a job well done?"

He had an ambitious look in his eye, "Yes." he kissed her quickly.

And even the Twins had an important announcement, "We aren't going to Ouran University. We're going to a university with a fine arts department."

"That's so like you Hika-chan and Kao-chan~!"

"Wait, Kirro-senpai, you're not going to Ouran University either, are you?" Haruhi asked. "They don't have a fine arts department."

"Oh no, actually I'm going back to California for college. For business, I'll still be an important member in my family's company after all." she grinned. She wished she had brought along a camera so she could take a picture of everyone's shocked expression.

'Speaking of the future, it's coming sooner than I'd hoped.' she sighed, but really she was happy.

Because no matter what happened, as long as she still had everyone she cared about near her, she would always be home.

...

A.N, Cheesy ending to this chapter I know, sorry for the longish break inbetween. Also huge, big, giant, crazy things happen in the next chapter! Get ready!


	9. Chapter 9

A.N. Oh my, this chapter has a strong lemony scent to it. It's about time, Kirro.

**Chapter Nine: A Few Tears, All That I Have and Drive**

She closed her phone, almost sure that this month had passed by quicker than the last.

"Kyouya?" Kirro sat down next to him on her couch.

"Yes, Kirro?" he turned to her, smiling, while she raised her eyebrow.

"Were you aware that we were to be leaving for Japan over winter break?"

"I might have been."

She ran a finger down his jawline, "Then, why didn't you tell me?"

"I figured you would find out sooner or later." he turned to face her.

"Might you also be aware that break starts tomorrow?" she asked, slightly irked.

"Perhaps." he smiled evilly.

"Then why didn't you tell me we were leaving tomorrow?" she whined.

"I could help you pack." he offered kindly. "For a fee of course."

"Of course." she sighed. "How large is the fee?"

"Rather large." he ran a hand up her thigh.

"W-well I..." she looked away.

He looked stunned that she was actually considering it, "Wow, I didn't thin-"

"Never in a million years like that." she pushed him back. "I can pack pretty quickly." she smiled while he just glared at her.

...

After they had said their goodbyes to the group they entered the boarding gate, when suddenly Kirro was struck by a thought, 'When mom told me we were leaving, she didn't say why...'

"So, why are we going home anyway?" Kirro asked of Kyouya.

"It's the grand opening of that new hotel, of course." he explained simply.

"The one our families collaborated on?"

"That would be the one." he raised an eyebrow.

"But, why do we need to go?" she asked. "Why did they need us there? We are half way around the world after all."

"Who knows, maybe their planning something special for us."

"Who knows? I have reason to suspect you know, Kyouya." she raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you tell me?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Kirro." he laughed.

...

Kirro wasn't going to lie, she liked being back home, but, she also just wanted to go back to Boston. It was a funny feeling, she had gotten used to being so close to Kyouya at all times, they were only a door away after all. Sometimes they even shared a bed, so, it was a little odd being so far away from him. She did like being back in Japan, she had missed her family, Finn was turning three and Aneleigh was a junior in high school, though her father wasn't going to get to Japan until tomorrow. They talked all the time over the phone and on their computers, but, this was different. She was happy to be able to be face to face with them again.

After a day of catching up, Kirro had finally gotten the chance to go to bed, and then her mother came in.

"Kirro, are you still awake?" she knocked on the door.

"Y-yeah, mom."

"Sorry, I just couldn't go to sleep without talking to you about tomorrow first."

"Oh, I wanted to ask you, what's going on tomorrow, anyway? I tried to ask Kyouya, but, he's being secretive." she sat up in bed.

"Well, tomorrow we'll get up and ready, we'll meet your father at the new hotel around two and while all the invited guests arrive you can move into the room assigned to you, and once it gets dark we'll all dance on the rooftop."

"Sounds fancy." she chuckled. "So, which room do I get?"

"The penthouse!" she smiled.

"What? Why? Wouldn't it make sense to give it to one of the guests that you're trying to make an impression upon?" she cocked her head. "Why would I get that room?"

"Because you're the one we're trying to make an impression upon." she grabbed her daughter's hand. "Which reminds me. Kirro, what are your plans for the future?"

"Where did that come from?" she asked taken aback.

"I'm waiting." her mother squeezed her hand.

She sighed, "Well, I was thinking about college back in America, for fine arts of course. But, then again, I could do just about anything. Like, modeling." she laughed, reminded of Tamaki.

"And, what about marriage?"

Kirro cocked her head again. Realizing that she had never really thought about it, well, she had, but, a long time ago and only as the daughter of a large company would. Marriage was often used to merge two companies. And, Kirro guessed she had just expected her marriage, if she were to wed at all, would be no different. But, people got married out of love, too. Well, she did love Kyouya. Should she think about marriage?

Her mother laughed quietly, "You haven't thought about it much, right?"

"No, I-I guess I haven't."

"And what about Kyouya?"

"Kyouya, he's been good to me these last five months."

"Have you...?"

"No! W-we didn't..."

"But, he is your boyfriend, right?"

"Right..."

She sighed, getting up with a smile on her face, "I think you'll like tomorrow's events, honey. So, get some rest, okay?"

"G-goodnight, mom."

"Goodnight."

'What was that all about?'

...

The next day Kirro was hustled through meeting most of the invited guests, she saw Kyouya a few times but she hadn't had the chance to greet him yet. Until she made her way to the elevator, "Oh, hello Kyouya, fancy seeing you here." she smiled as the elevator went up.

"Hello, Kirro." he quickly kissed her on the forehead.

"Which room did you get?"

"The penthouse, of course." he smirked.

"Wait, that's..." she cocked her head.

"Oh, you didn't know we were sharing a room, Kirro?" he raised an eyebrow with an intense look in his eye.

"Is there anything else you forgot to tell me?"

"No, I didn't forget, I just wasn't telling you." he pointed out. "But, now that you mention it, there is one thing I haven't told you yet. But, we'll get to that later." he stepped outside the elevator on the top room and unlocked the doors to their room.

The room was large, spacious and beautiful. The large windows looked out on Tokyo, and every view seemed lovely. There was more than one balcony and each one was decorated with potted plants that bloomed in different colors. The multiple rooms were covered with lavish furnishings and artworks and knickknacks.

"Nice, isn't it?" Kyouya asked from behind her. "And we get to stay here for three days."

"Wait, three days? I thought, since the celebration was tonight, we would only be here for one night." 'I guess it's a good thing my maid packed everything I would need.'

"My poor, little, clueless Kirro." he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her closer. "What would you say if you knew?" he smirked, whispering in her ear.

"Knew what?" she tried. "You've been acting oddly. What is it?"

"You'll find out later." he chuckled.

"But, what if I want to know now?" she pressed her cheek to his neck.

"I can't tell you now, you'll have to be patient."

"But, Kyouya..." she kissed his neck. "Please, won't you tell me?"

"No." he growled smirking.

"Why?" she turned in his grip, causing him to lose his footing, they fell backwards. Kyouya landed sitting up, propped up by his arms, legs spread apart. Kirro had her head pressed to his chest, arms on either side of his waist, hips nestled between his legs. "S-sorry." she muttered.

Looking up to face him, "No, no, it's alright." he chuckled. "Perfectly fine." he kissed her, chuckling. "But, we'll have more time for this later. You know you're sharing a bed with me, right?"

"I figured that out while we were still in the elevator." she looked away from his intense gaze.

"Good." he smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a party to get ready for."

"Of course."

...

If Kirro had known she was going home over break, and was going to be attending a celebration once there, she would have designed a dress ahead of time. But, since she wasn't told until last minute, she had no time to do anything her way. Thankfully, her mom, being half responsible for informing her so late, was able to order for her a specially made dress from one of her friends, Yuzuha Hitachiin actually. And, while it was a little different than what Kirro would have made, it was very beautiful. Different shades of pink satin, rosy and light, with clusters of sparkling golden fabric that made a swirling trail across her waist.

'It's amazing!' Kirro turned in the mirror. 'Mom shouldn't have ordered a dress like this! I'm going to stand out way too much!' she blushed.

She heard the door open behind her, "Kirro..." she saw Kyouya's reflection freeze.

She sighed, feeling more than a little self conscious, "Y-yeah?"

"You look...amazing."

"Ah, thanks." she smiled.

He held his hand out to her, "Ready?"

She took his hand, "As I'll ever be."

He led her to the rooftop where most of the guests had already arrived, "Kirro. Kyouya." her father greeted them.

"Hello, Father." she smiled hugging him.

"It's been so long since I've seen you." he turned to Kyouya, still embracing his daughter.

"Good evening, sir." he bowed.

"Please, Kyouya, you know you don't have to be so formal with me." he let go of Kirro, he looked down at her. "You've been very good to my daughter. I hope you will continue to do so."

"Of course." he took Kirro's hand again.

"Now, you two have fun, I have to meet with all of these guests." he took his leave.

"'I hope you will continue to do so', huh?" she smiled, raising an eyebrow.

"My clueless Kirro." he said chuckling.

"What?" she persisted. "Why do you keep saying that?"

"You'll figure it out soon enough." he brushed her question off. The music started and he added, "Would you like to dance?"

She sighed, knowing that at least for now she wasn't going to get anything out of him, "Yes."

Over time, Kirro had mastered the art of slow dancing. She remembered the first time she had ever danced with a boy, Kyouya in fact. It was a little awkward on her part, but, in her defense she was seven. She couldn't understand it at the time, Kyouya was the perfect dancer. He had helped her through their first dance, she had never even talked to him before, but he was so nice to her. She had no idea who he was at the time, though he knew everyone at the Gala and their position in their family along with what kind of occupation their family ruled over. It was only at the end of their first dance that Kirro had learned his name. The day she met him he danced with her to every song, and it seemed every year after that he liked to keep up the tradition. They occasionally kept in touch in their younger years between galas. But, somewhere after the fifth gala Kirro and Kyouya had attended they had made themselves more prominent in their lives.

And by this point in time, while they danced, words were completely unnecessary. It was easy for one to predict each move the other would make before they made it. Kirro just wished she could always predict him like she could when they were dancing.

Kirro was right about her dress, she did stand out. She wondered how Kyouya had a matching gold vest when she had only known she had to wear a dress, and seen it, yesterday.

As the night sky above them grew darker and darker, they danced and danced. Until, finally, just after the last dance, "I hope you have enjoyed this dance tonight, ladies and gentlemen." Kirro's father announced from the stage. Kyouya's father stood next to him adding, "Tonight was a celebration of the continuous partnership of the Harper Incorporate and the Ootori Group. This hotel and so much more founded by this splendid collaboration. And now, if you will turn your attention to him, there is another partnership that my son would like to propose." he gestured to where Kyouya stood by Kirro in the crowd.

Kirro looked up, confused, at him, his eyes fixated upon her.

He took her hand, and the pieces started to fall into place in her mind.

He got down on one knee, and Kirro's thoughts began racing in her head, unable to form anything understandable before another thought pushed it's way into the spotlight.

He produced something from his jacket pocket, and Kirro's heart seemed to stop and accelerate all at once.

He opened the box, revealing the diamond ring inside, everything slowed down in her eyes.

Except for his words, "Kirro Toryo, will you marry me?"

In the milliseconds that passed so slowly Kirro's eyes widened, her free hand flew to her mouth, and her chest constricted until...

"Yes." she replied almost breathlessly.

Applause flooded the area, and she was locked into Kyouya's embraced after he had slipped the ring on her finger.

"We both hope that these two spend many happy years together." Kirro's father said with a smile.

"We're so proud of you." Kyouya's father added with a pleased look on his face.

"And, with this, tonight's events have come to a close."

Kirro's thoughts were still racing as he pecked her on the lips.

"I told you you would find out soon." he added. His father beckoned him to join him beside stage. "I'll meet you at the room, okay?" he said before walking over to meet his father.

"Okay." she said absentmindedly. Her feet moved to the beat of her gradually slowing heart as her thoughts became more clear.

'What just happened?' she thought to herself as she absentmindedly accepted all of the congratulations the guests offered. 'Okay, so, I agreed to marry Kyouya Ootori. That's not a bad thing, right? I mean, we've known each other for years, we've been together for quite some time now, so, I should be overjoyed. Right, I should be! So, why am I so freaked out?'

Then, she remembered something, 'It's because I'm sharing a penthouse and a bed with him for three days...' her cheeks reddened. 'And I'm now his fiancee.'

She was on the verge of nervously freaking out when she heard something that made her stop, "I know they looked happy, but, how could anyone be happy being in an arranged marriage like that?" one woman's voice asked.

"I heard that the Ootori family had been planning this since last year when the Harper's girl started attending Ouran." another woman added.

'What?' Kirro nearly stopped in her tracks. 'Is this all a lie?' she looked down at the new ring on her finger. 'Was it all just arranged?'

She made her way in silence to the penthouse. Somewhere inside of her there was a part that was screaming at her that she shouldn't let it get to her, sadly she wasn't listening to it. She was a little too emotional to.

She found herself on the verge of tears, 'It's a silly thing to entertain, how could he love me? Of course it was arranged. How could anyone have that kind of relationship with me? I hardly ever have anything to say, I'm too much of a recluse, I'll never change, how could he be happy with someone like me?' she held herself up against a cabinet in the living room. 'Someone like him, perfect, and someone like me? Of course it was just arranged.'

She didn't hear Kyouya come in, so when he put an arm by either side of her from behind she jumped.

"Did I scare you?" he chuckled, rather darkly.

"K-Kyouya, I..." she tried.

"Kirro, do you realize that you've made me the happiest man alive?" he whispered into her ear.

"I-I...?"

"Yes, you, my father has just agreed to hand over part of the company to me once he retires."

"S-so, you..."

"Yes, but, then again, even if he hadn't, I would still be overjoyed, of course."

"Wh-why?" she tried.

"Because you're my fiancee." he turned her around. "Kirro, is something wrong?"

"Ky-Kyouya, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"I-is it an arranged marriage? Did our fathers' want this to happen?" she looked away from him.

His expression went from playful to serious, "Kirro?" he sighed. "Yes. It is."

"I-I..." she had tears in her eyes now.

He put a finger to her lips, then he brushed away the tears with his thumbs, cupping her face, "But, allow me to explain. If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, stop it." he warned with a small smile. "Kirro, when I say I love you, I mean it. I do. Maybe when my father told me that I was to propose to you, I didn't feel for you romantically. But, over the time we spent at Ouran and in Boston, I really have fallen in love with you." he kissed her, trying to prove it. "Why do you think I went after you when you almost left Japan?" he kissed her again more passionately.

She pushed him back against the couch, "When were you told?" she kissed him hard. She wanted him to prove it.

When she pulled away he said, "The day before you came to Ouran. It wasn't set in stone, there were quite a few meetings held to negotiate."

She undid his bow tie, "Is this why we were assigned this room?"

He smiled, allowing her to take off his jacket, "Just in case you were having second thoughts, I could _persuade_ you." he whispered in her ear.

"And, how are you going to do that?" she asked mock obliviously, fingers undoing the buttons to his vest.

As an answer he pulled the large barrette out of her bun, allowing her hair to fall around his hand, he held onto her hair and pointed her head upward roughly, exposing her neck. He trailed kisses from her chin down to her collar.

She let out a small gasp and she felt his smirk against her skin. He pushed her up against the wall, pinning her hands above her head, "I think you know what I'm going to do." his lips were millimeters away from hers.

Her stomach had one million butterflies, and heat ran through her veins. He held onto both of her hands with one of his and with his other hand he trailed a finger up her thigh until his hand rested at her hip. He pressed his teeth to the nape of her neck and she moaned. He grunted, pressing his hips to hers, her eyes widened as she felt...

"Oh Go-" she panted realizing that she really was about to have sex with Kyouya. She turned her head, pressing a cheek to the wall.

He growled running his tongue up her neck and along her jawline until he came to her ear, "What's wrong, Kirro?" he chuckled, practically purring her name, though he already knew the answer.

"You're not playing fair, let go of my hands." she tried, pressing her lips to his neck.

"Why? I like you in this position." he grinned. Running his hand to the small of her back.

"Kyouya," she warned. "Let me go."

"How about we compromise?" he let one of her hands free.

Her free hand wandered down his chest, undoing a few buttons, "That's not enough." she stated, running the hand down to his hips, drawing little circles right next to his penis.

He shifted, letting her other hand go, placing his now free hand at her hip.

She pushed him back, hoping to get him back on the couch, but he fell onto the floor under her, "What's wrong, Kyouya?" she laughed. "Looks like you've lost a little control." she unbuttoned the rest of his shirt and kissed his chest.

"No, I haven't." he groaned as she nipped at his skin.

"Are you sure?" she rubbed a finger around one of his nipples.

"Yes, I'm sure." there was a sharp intake of breath as she licked downward from his chest to his waist. He unbuckled his belt and they kicked off their shoes.

"So, since you'll still have control, it's okay if I do this, right?" she unzipped his pants and ran her hands down his hips. He hissed as she got closer and closer to his erection.

"Yes." he stifled a moan. She grinned triumphantly until he sat up, pushing her into a sitting position. "Because, I can..." he unzipped her dress and it fell around her knees, exposing her chest.

She blushed wildly as he pressed his lips to one breast and a hand to another, "Ah!" she ran her hands up his back to his shoulders.

He half-chuckled massaging one breast and licking the other. He switched, and pushed her down to the floor and she gasped as she rested on the carpet, arching her back. Every part of her was hot, each place he touched was set on fire.

He kicked off his pants and pulled her up, she felt the dress fall off of her and wrapped her legs around his waist. He stood and she pressed herself against him, panting. "Maybe we should..." he trailed off, carrying her to the bedroom, kissing her almost the entire way there, his tongue conquering hers as he explored her mouth.

In one swift motion he laid her down on the large bed and hooked a finger in her underwear, pulling them off easily. She blushed bright red, it was the first time she had ever been naked in front of a man. He grinned kissing each breast, down her stomach, stopping to lick her navel, to her lower abdomen. He smirked, moving one hand down to her inner thigh as the other pushed up one of her legs. He dropped his boxers and she timidly looked, heat coursing through her cheeks as it was the first time she had ever seen a man naked before. He raised an eyebrow arrogantly and stroked his thumb across her inner thigh. With a wicked smile his tongue found its way to her, causing her to gasp and moan. She held onto the blanket for dear life as his tongue explored. She felt the heat in her abdomen build, until, as he found a nerve cluster she cried out and climaxed for the first time in her life. He licked up the liquid on her legs and she tilted her head up, panting. She felt sparks running all through her body.

He kissed her and she tasted herself on his lips. When he pulled away, "If just my tongue does that, what do you think I can do to you?"

"Ky-Kyouya, please..." she wanted more. Pressing her hips to his was all the encouragement he needed.

He used his fingers, scissoring her so she could get used to something his size. She moaned, curling her toes, gasping each time he pushed his fingers in a little deeper. He pulled them out and put his hands on her hips after spreading her legs a little wider to make room for his hips, he adjusted his cock before her entrance. She exhaled nervously and he pushed his member slowly into her.

She gasped in pain and pleasure as he took her, breaking her thin veil of virginity. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back again and let him start slowly. With each careful thrust he went just a little deeper, trying not to cause her too much pain. As she got used to him she moaned, "F-faster..." she requested timidly. He gladly granted her wish, quickening his pace until she was arching her back, meeting his thrusts with her own, moaning and tangling her fingers in the blanket. He continued to go deeper and deeper into her, gasping as her walls constricted around him, shivering at each noise she made. She panted, trying to hold her own against him, but, each moan he tried to stifle only made it harder not to cum. Her body had flares of pleasure with each of his thrusts until_, "K-Kyouya, I...!" _she climaxed a second time, gasping, the liquid dripping out of her, making his cock wetter. He moaned loudly and with a few last thrusts he followed suit, his cum inside her.

They panted, sweating as he pulled out of her. He kissed her over and over again, "Is that...proof enough?" he panted lying next to her.

She tried to speak but she was still overwhelmed by all the nerves that were on fire in her body. She buried her head in his chest, and he put his hands around her waist, pulling her body closer, "I'm sorry, Kyouya." she finally said as she found her voice. "I really shouldn't have doubted you."

"I thought having sex with me was the apology?" he chuckled.

She blushed, "Maybe. We should...do this again sometime..." she added.

He smiled evilly, "We have two more days, two more nights." he had an intense look in his eye. He got up, hovering over her again, "Or if you want, I could go a few more rounds right now."

She blushed, thought it over, and pulled off his glasses, placing them on the nightstand, "You won't have to take them off if I exhaust you." she said playfully.

"Please." he grinned.

...

Everything was warm, and Kirro felt great, she heard her own soft breathing and Kyouya's. 'How did we get on the couch?' She blushed, remembering everything that had happened the night before. He was still asleep, she didn't want to disturb him. She brushed the hair out of her eyes carefully and remembered the ring on her finger, she took her time to examine it this time.

'Oh my God this is a beautiful ring!' Kirro's eyes went wide. The platinum band was littered with small diamonds that all wrapped around one large one. She flexed her fingers, watching it glitter in the light. She smiled, pressing her head gently against Kyouya's chest, 'I love him.' she felt his arms wrap around her waist. He was slowly waking up, pulling her closer until she was pressed up against him. At first he let out a hypotensive evil lord growl. But, when she kissed his chest she earned his chuckle.

"Good morning." he smiled seductively.

"Good morning." she replied, still smiling.

He ran his fingers through her hair, "Can I always wake up to you naked?"

"Maybe..." she trailed a finger down his torso. "Depends on how good you are." she smirked.

"What's your definition of 'good'?" he hovered over her.

She put her hands on his shoulders, pulling him closer until they were kissing, "So we get two more days of this? They were giving you plenty of time to persuade me." she said as she pulled away.

"Well, we are expected to discuss the wedding. But, that can wait." he nipped at the nape of her neck.

They heard a loud ringing coming from the other room, followed by another ringing, "Phones?" Kirro cocked her head.

He got up with a sigh, rushing into the other room, "Catch." he threw her phone and she caught it answering to...

"Kirro-senpai!" the Twins yelled in her ear.

She held the phone at arm's length, "I got the Twins, who did you get?" Kirro asked Kyouya.

"Tamaki." he sighed.

"What is it, boys?" she went back to her phone.

"You and Kyouya are all over the news!" they yelled.

"Hey, quit yelling." she scolded.

They pressed their phones to speaker and listened to the rest of the group, Tamaki was the first, screeching sadly, "Kyouya, I thought we were best friends! Why didn't you tell me you were going to propose to Kirro?"

"It had to be a surprise, obviously, and you're hopeless when it comes to secrets." Kyouya replied.

The Twins weren't interested in that at the moment, they were still wondering why Kyouya and Kirro were in the same room, "Are you two sharing a room?" Kirro could almost see their devil grins.

"Yes, actually, the penthouse." Kyouya answered before she could discourage the two.

"So that means you two-"

"Don't you dare mention anything like that, you dirty-minded twins!" Tamaki yelled. "Haruhi's here with me!"

They heard Haruhi then, "Congratulations, you two." she said simply.

"Thank you, Haruhi." Kirro smiled.

"She was the first to say it." Kyouya smirked, the remark obviously pointed towards Tamaki.

"I'm so sorry!" Tamaki apologized. "Congratulations, K-!"

"Isn't it a little late for that, Tono?" the Twins asked. "Some best friend you are."

"Great, now he's in the corner..." Haruhi said.

"Boys, don't be so rude." she sighed, she looked over at Kyouya.

"Thank you, Tamaki." he rolled his eyes.

"You're welcome!" Tamaki said in sing-song, obviously out of his corner.

After a few more minutes of the Twins trying to lead the conversation to something much dirtier, Kirro and Kyouya had decided to say goodbye to their friends, and Kirro went to take a shower.

"Want me to join you?" Kyouya asked seductively.

Kirro blushed, "If you do I'll make it a cold shower." she threatened lightly.

He thought about it, "I can wait, then." he sighed.

She made her way into the large bathroom and turned the water on, adjusting the temperature before stepping in, closing the shower door and turning on the shower, she had just finished covering herself in soap when she heard the door open, Kyouya's figure walked up to the opposite side of the foggy glass, he stepped in smirking.

"I changed my mind."

"Kyouya." she warned once, moving her hand to the 'cold' handle.

He pulled her back, "Now, why would you want to do that?" he kissed her quickly on the lips.

"Well, how am I supposed to get clean with you in here?" she asked, smiling and raising an eyebrow.

"We would have had sex after we showered anyway." he told her.

"Would we now?" she kissed his chest. "What makes you so sure of that?"

"You can't tell me that those few times last night would be the only times we would fuck in the three days we would be here?" he pressed his forehead to hers, looking her right in the eye and putting emphasis on every single word.

"Kyouya, that word..." she squirmed in his grasp.

"What word?" he grinned. "Fuck?"

"Stop it." she frowned. "It's so..." she trailed off, trying to describe it.

"It's so what?" he pressed her up against the wall of the shower.

"Rough." she finally decided. "When you use it in that sense..."

"My, my, Kirro, are you telling me last night wasn't rough enough for you?" he chuckled as she blushed. "It wouldn't be right to describe any of that with a softer word."

"But that word..." she squirmed again.

"Stop squirming, you're too slippery, you're going to fall." he warned her, pulling one of her legs up to rest next to his hip.

She ran one finger down his jawline, "You've got me, right?"

"That doesn't matter, we always seem to fall, no matter how dry we are." he chuckled. "But, perhaps if you were to stop moving..." he bit her neck.

"But, I don't want to stop moving." she smiled, pressing herself against him, linking her hands behind his neck.

"Stay still." he ordered into her ear.

The familiar heat ran through her body, she bit her lip. She never wanted to admit it but...

"Kirro, does it turn you on when I order you around?" he smirked, still chuckling.

"N-no, who would-!"

"Quiet." he raised an eyebrow.

She closed her mouth. A few interesting thoughts running through her head.

"I knew it, you like being controlled." he kissed her neck. "So, when I do something like this..." he took hold of both of her wrists. "And you say I'm not being fair, you're actually getting turned on. Am I right?"

"I-I'm not into that kind of thing..."

"Don't lie to me, Kirro."

"But I...Kyouya..." she whined, looking for a way to avoid the topic. She squirmed again, rubbing her hips against his.

He growled, "I thought I told you to stay still." he let go of her wrists and she immediately grabbed the 'cold' handle, twisting it as far as it would go.

She shivered violently as the temperature of the water changed abruptly. Kyouya dropped her leg, hissing as the cold water met his hot erection. She quickly slipped out of the shower and out of the bathroom. She clutched the towel to her, still shivering.

'Do I really like...that?' she was embarrassed. 'Have I ever fantasized...about that kind of...relationship? He's going to kill me when he gets out...'

"I'm not going to kill you." she heard his voice from behind her.

She turned and backed away from him, smiling as she did so, "I forgot you could read my mind." she chuckled.

He raised an eyebrow, a bit of a smirk playing on his lips, "Come here." he pointed the the spot just before him.

"No." she whined, backing up just a little more.

He frowned but his eyes seemed to gleam, he held out his hand and curled a finger, "Come here." he said again.

She smiled and shook her head, turning to get away from him, she fled into the next room, the dining room.

He was after her, following her closely as she tried to escape him. This was the same game they always played, she would run and he would chase her. He knew she wasn't really running away from him. Where was she going to go anyway? The game was still fun for them, though.

And, he always won in the end.

He caught her wrist, pulling her back to him as she tried to escape into the living room, "Got you." he growled.

She squeaked as he grabbed her other wrist. She tried to struggle weakly but let him hold her.

"What was the point in hiding it?" he asked, smiling. "I was bound to find out eventually."

"I could have hidden it." she replied, grinning as she kissed his wrist.

"Do you really think you can hide anything, especially something like that, from me?" he raised an eyebrow, releasing a wrist to run his hand through her wet hair.

She blushed as he gently wound the hand through it, forcing her to look at him, "It's nothing to be ashamed of." he told her, he kissed her, biting her lower lip as she whimpered. "It's perfect." he laughed.

"W-why?" she chuckled, letting the towel around her fall away.

"Because I like taking control of you." he said simply, releasing her other wrist. He lifted her legs, holding her up as she tangled her hands in his black hair. He pushed her back against the wall, making her squeak. She could feel his erection pressed to her. It was easy to guess what he wanted.

He pressed his mouth to the most sensitive part on her neck, smiling as she moaned. He sucked and bit, leaving a bright red hickey.

"H-how am I going to hide that?" she stuttered.

"Quiet." he chuckled darkly, purring into her ear with a grin on his face.

She wanted to glare at him but suddenly he was inside her and she was gasping, hiding her face in the nape of his neck. Moaning to his skin as the heat flared around in her body. He almost couldn't hold her up, the sounds she made made him feel too weak but he wouldn't possibly let her go, this felt too good. She clung to him tightly as she climaxed, calling his name as he happily released.

He let her legs go, leaning against the wall with her in his arms for a time before they went to clean themselves up again.

...

After ordering and eating room service, they lounged on the couch together, Kyouya with his arms around Kirro, Kirro resting her head on his chest.

"So, we're getting married?" she began, toying around with the idea in her mind.

"Mmhm." he answered, taking in the scent of her strawberry shampoo. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so relaxed.

"When?" she placed her hands on his, they seemed so big in comparison.

"Well, it will take a while, so perhaps even the year after next. And, there isn't really any way for it to be a small one." he said into her ear. She could feel the words in his chest. "Sorry."

"I don't mind, can it be in the summer?" she asked, looking up to him with a smile.

"Of course." he chuckled. Playing with her hair and holding her hand.

"Okay then. No other suggestions here." she completed, happy enough.

"Really? That's it?" he cocked his head. "No whereabouts, no date, no theme or anything?" he grinned.

"No. Wait, another question. Western or Japanese?"

"Western." he answered simply. "You're easy to please."

"Is that a good thing?" she chuckled.

"A very good thing." he laughed. "It makes everything just that much less complicated. But really, there isn't anything you would like to add? Nothing you would like to say?" he tried, letting go of her as she sat up and turned to him.

"No, to tell the truth, I'd never really thought about getting married all that much. Ever." she sighed.

"What? Really?" he raised an eyebrow, frowning. "Well, haven't you ever wanted to?" he asked, smiling as she grew flustered at herself.

"Well, yes, I want to get married. I just never really think about it." she tried to explain it.

"But how can you not think about getting married to me?" he purposefully flaunted his ego. "It should be your greatest dream."

"You're so vain." she smiled, hugging him. "Such a charming quality." she said sarcastically.

"Don't insult me, Kirro." he warned, leaning in to kiss her. "I know all of your weaknesses."

"Not all of them." she raised an eyebrow, earning his smirk. "I don't have that many do I?"

"Well, there's about six I can think of right now." he offered, "Would you like to know where they are?" he grinned, climbing atop her ready to demonstrate.

"Is this just an excuse to make love to me?" she asked coyly, almost unable to hide her smile.

"Perhaps. Maybe I just want to show you why you shouldn't insult my ego, hm?" he supported himself with one arm, cupping her chin with his free hand. Giving her a heated look with his charcoal gray eyes. "Especially when I can make you call my name without even unzipping my pants." he seductively said.

"Are you so sure of that?" she played along, giving him a chance to prove it.

His teeth latched onto her bottom lip. Something he had discovered she liked only recently. True enough, she mewled as he bit the sensitive skin. But that was just the beginning, he chuckled, gently pulling away and saying, "Do you want to take it back?"

"Does it matter if I do?" she smirked, running a hand down his chest, pushing up his shirt.

"Not really." he admitted, backing away for a moment to take off his shirt.

"Then no."

Her shirt followed his quickly. And he licked down her stomach, undoing the clasp to her bra as he did so.

"You're so hot already." he smiled. "I think this will be easier than I expected."

He dipped down to suck on the spot located just above her right hip bone. She loved it when he did that. However, she kept her mouth shut, wanting to give him a run for his money. Even if she knew he would easily win. He did get a few muffled moans from her, though. And a shaky sigh when he stopped, looking up at her and blowing on the now red patch.

He lifted himself back up to her neck. Without even a moment between his assault on the two pleasure spots, he quickly licked the side that she tried shielding. She moaned rather loudly the moment he made contact with a certain spot, she quickly bit her lip, trying to take the sound back. But he had already heard it and returned to the spot he was looking for, nipping a little roughly. She gave a sharp intake of breath, and unknowingly tilted her head to allow him access to the spot. He sucked and bit and teased her with his tongue, leaving yet another hot pink love mark.

Her stomach fluttered as he removed her unclasped bra from her arms. Trying to hold back his name was going to torture her this time. He grinned, slowly circling one erect pink nipple with his tongue. Just barely touching her skin, not pressing down or crossing the top of it, just lightly circling it.

'Oh, damn him.'

He brought his hand up to the other breast, holding it for a moment in his warm palm. She found it hard to look away from those eyes, but she had to tilt her head up, unable to hold back a small squeal as he played with her nipples, finally giving them all of his attention. She couldn't help it as he laved his tongue over their tips, she let his name slip, she knew she wasn't going to prove him wrong anyway. He had pretty much proved he could beforehand anyway.

He smirked, completely stopping what he was doing. She arched her back wanting more, but he pushed her back down.

"What was that?" he inquired evilly.

"Kyouya..." she whined.

"What, I can't hear you." he lied, growing harder than before.

"K-Kyouya." she whimpered.

He grinned wickedly, "That's right." he purred, running one finger down the middle of her torso. "In fact, I didn't even have to take of your pants." he went on.

"P-please?" she begged, as he came to the zipper.

"Since you've been good." he smiled, rewarding her, quickly undoing the button and unzipping the zipper. Pushing them down and off of her legs slowly.

He did the same with his own, throwing them on the floor. He kissed the top of her underwear, making her gasp at the feel of his lips, before he removed them. He sat up more straightly after he was out of his boxers, he moved his fingers along her inner thigh, teasing her. Before, with a little encouragement from her rocking hips, he entered her again. Able to be a little more rough with her this time. He pushed a little farther in this time, moving faster as she arched her back. Moaning, she dug into the couch beneath her, feeling like she might actually float away. He thrust further and further steadily, gasping in pleasure each time her inner walls contracted around him. His body came closer and closer to climax with each millisecond. He wouldn't be able to hold it.

"Kyouya!" she screamed as he was a little more forceful.

That was it, he released, groaning as he did so.

It was only a few seconds before she did the same.

They sat in silence again as they caught their breath, damp with sweat and filled with sparks of pleasure.

She smiled, pressing herself to his chest as he lay beside her. He slowly put his arms around her, running a hand through her messy hair.

...

She woke up the next day in their bed before he did, so she decided to take a shower alone.

'Aw, today is our last day.' she chuckled, letting the water run down her neck. 'I miss everyone, but, there won't be as much privacy or time to just spend like this.' she wondered if she might have become addicted to what he could do to her. 'Rightly so, he's amazing.'

Then this wicked little idea popped into her head, 'I wonder if he's awake yet?'

She got out when she was finished and dried off, the only thing she put on was her bra and panties, though really, she thought with a blush, she probably wasn't going to be wearing them for very long.

"Kyouya." she said in a silky voice before the bed. "Won't you wake up, Kyouya?"

He glared at her from under the blanket, watching her sleepily.

"Don't glare at me like that, you." she raised her eyebrow, she moved the blanket away despite his grumbled protests.

He was naked, and she climbed over top of him this time, smirking down at him.

"Come on, Kyouya, wake up." she purred.

He didn't respond, so she ran a finger down his chest to his stomach until finally she came to his penis and with a final smirk her fingers wrapped around it. She squeezed. That woke him up, he hardened in her grasp. Looking at her with wide eyes.

'First time I've ever done this.' she thought, a little unsure of exactly how to do this.

She started pumping as he panted. He swallowed hard as her strokes became even and firm. She tried squeezing a bit more, increasing her speed. His head fell back, eyes closing in pleasure, lips parted.

It was nice to have him beneath her, at her mercy this time. He bucked his hips to her hand, gasping as she continued. He groaned, supporting himself on his elbows. He could hardly believe she was doing this, he opened an eye to watch her, his body filling with heat that pooled to his abdomen.

She was going faster and faster and he wasn't going to protest her, it felt great. A little rough, but he wouldn't complain. He was tensing up and growling until he could hold it no longer, he moaned her name and his head rolled back.

She couldn't help but smirk as he released, his cum squirting out onto her hand and his stomach. She wondered what he would do if...

He watched as she licked the cum off of her hand seductively. He was at a loss for words as he looked into those hot brown eyes of hers.

"Wh-who are you and what have you done with my Kirro?" he asked between pants.

She couldn't help but chuckle at that.

He wiped off his stomach and pushed her down beneath him, glaring at her.

"Don't be mad, Kyouya, you enjoyed it." she grinned, as he watched her.

"You surprised me, and I don't like being surprised." he growled.

"That's no fun." she twined her hands through his hair.

He was immediately at her mouth, kissing her roughly and biting her lower lip. Forcing his tongue inside her mouth as she allowed her hands to roam down his chest, teasing him. He made his way down her neck, biting quickly as she gasped. Her collar bone was treated the same way. He forced her to bend the small of her back upward so he could undo the clasp to her bra with a wicked smile. His hands moved up to massage her breasts, rubbing her nipples roughly, making her moan and scratch at his back with her nails. He continued this until he was finished with her neck and collar bone, he licked his way to one of her nipples with his hot tongue, keeping one hand in place at the other breast.

Her back arched quickly as pleasure was sent down to her core. She was already tensing beneath him, how much further did he plan to take this?

He repeated what he had done yesterday. Barely touching her nipple, slowing surrounding it with his tongue until he would unexpectedly flick his tongue out and cover the tip after she begged for it. He did the same for each nipple and she whimpered his name each time. Sharply gasping as he sucked on them. He had decided that she had had enough of that and he trailed his way down her stomach as she writhed beneath him, nipping at her hips.

She had moved her hands back to the bed, she hadn't realized how tight she had been grasping the sheets until he stopped what he was doing, sat up and pushed her legs apart. She squeaked, preparing herself for whatever he wanted to do next.

He watched her with that intense gray stare. Clearly loving the position he had put her in. He ran a hand down her inner thigh, she moaned so he continued, rubbing her thighs but always stopping right before her womanhood. Teasing her and massaging every spot but one. She was pleading with him to do something but he continued at his own pace, putting her through another minute of it before her finally stroked a single finger across her soaked underwear, making her buck her hips and groan. He repeated this process slowly making her beg and plead for him, for more. She couldn't understand it, he was rock hard and still everything was so agonizingly slow.

Finally he lowered his mouth to her, licking her through her underwear. Adding force with each lick, she rocked her hips gasping his name. She fisted her hands in the sheets so hard that her knuckles were white. He pressed his tongue hard against her, and she nearly screamed, bucking and curling her toes.

He lifted her legs, removing her panties quickly. Before finally going back to licking her, this time she was in so much pleasure that it was painful. Then without warning he licked straight into her. She climaxed once trying to hold onto her control and failing. She tightly closed her eyes as he licked up the liquid, chuckling. But her first release made no difference she was still throbbing and wanting him inside of her. She let out a passionate scream as he sat back, working one of her fingers quickly in and out of her.

And now at long last he held the tip of his member before her entrance. She moaned as he finally plunged into her, already begging him to go faster and deeper and harder. And he was completely in her, now he was slowly pulling out.

She groaned at the feel of the hot friction.

His pace picked up a bit and she was already bucking her hips even as he held them down. He was driving her mad. Not soon enough his thrusts were picking up the pace and he was rougher. He growled and began obliging her quickly each time she begged, "Faster." or "More." in that pathetic whimpering voice of hers. She was panting hard as she met with his thrusts.

_"Kyo-ah!-Kyouya! Don't stop!_" she begged of him, her whole body felt like lava. She felt hotter with each moment. She curled her toes and closed her eyes tightly.

He did something new then, he rested her legs on his shoulders allowing him to go even deeper. She screamed his name, increasing her volume unintentionally. She tried to hold on but she couldn't, she came hard and her mind went foggy.

His calm broke then, coming shortly after her he gasped loudly.

She was limp beneath him, catching her breath as waves of pleasure washed over her. He pulled out of her, collapsing by her side and watching her as he slowed his breathing.

"Oh my God!" she finally said after a long silence. Turning her head to see if he felt the same way.

He merely smirked arrogantly, "So far, that was the best." he chuckled darkly, as his eyes trailed down her body.

"Kyouya, that was amazing..." she murmured as she lay tiredly.

"You have seventeen hickeys." he laughed.

"You have four." she returned, smiling smugly.

"I can hide mine." he pointed to her neck, it was covered.

"If you didn't bite so hard..." she jokingly mumbled.

"You didn't want me to stop. You were begging me not to." he smirked, running his finger up the darker marks on her sensitive flesh.

"Why wouldn't I?" she fed his ego. "It still feels amazing."

"Good."


	10. Chapter 10

A.N. Extremely late chapter is extremely late.  
>Chapter Ten: Breathe Again, Expectations, Solitude, Trouble Lurking, Hold my Hand.<p>

It was Kirro who woke up first. Tucked away in the warm blankets, so comfortable that it seemed like the cold outside was miles away. She smiled, carefully moving to see the alarm clock.

'Ten a.m. already?' she thought, her arms slowly finding Kyouya's around her waist.

She turned her head, looking at him from out of the corner of her eye.

"Kyouya, what time are we leaving today?" she asked, hoping to wake him up.

Nothing.

She wriggled free of his arms, "Kyouya, wake up please." she tried.

At least this time he stirred a bit.

"Kyouya, I just need you to answer a question, then you can go right back to sleep, okay?"

His arm went right back around her, pulling her closer. But, there was no other response.

"If you don't wake up I'm going to tickle you." she warned him.

She waited for something before finally tickling his sides.

He woke up immediately, "What are you doing?" he jerked away from her.

"I just need you to wake up!" she grinned, pinning his arms down beside him to avoid retaliation.

"Why?" he growled, still tired.

"I just need to know what time we're leaving today." she chuckled.

"Five p.m., why?"

"I just wanted to know. Are you going to be awake by then?" she smiled, letting his hands go.

"I'm awake now, aren't I?" he raised an eyebrow. "Because somebody was tickling me."

"It was the only way to wake you up." she tried rolling away from him, but he pulled her back.

"What was that?" his hands went to her sides for revenge.

"Eek! Not fair!" she laughed, trying to push him off. "I was only trying to wake you up!"

"Hm?" he threw a leg over her hips, sitting up on his knees, trapping her. "There are other ways to wake me up." he smiled down at her. "Case and point, yesterday morning."

"Stop! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she giggled, sitting up. She threaded her arms around his neck, pressing herself to him.

"I don't accept your apology." he nipped her neck, wrapping his arms around her waist. He rolled back onto the bed, taking her with him. He stopped on his side, wrapping a leg around one of hers and running a hand into her hair.

"Why not?" she raised an eyebrow, letting him rest his head on her arm.

"Because it wasn't sincere." he smirked at her confused look.

She kissed him, and looked into his eyes, "I'm very sorry for waking you up so rudely, Kyouya, can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?" she said in the most polite voice possible.

He raised an eyebrow at her, "You don't sound sarcastic... I may be able to."

"Thank you!" she kissed him again.  
>"Is it already ten?" he asked when he pulled away. "I'm surprised you're awake at all. You'll sleep until noon if someone let's you."<br>"Not if I'm able to sleep well. And that's been decidedly more common for a while now." she pressed her forehead to his chest.  
>"Any special reason for that?" Kyouya asked his rhetorical question.<br>"Maybe." her hands wandered down his torso.  
>She felt his chuckle before she heard it.<br>"Kyouya, where are we going after this? I've been left in the dark for the past week or so." she smiled up at him, still a little sleepy.  
>"Wherever you like, though I'm guessing your family would like to see you during what's left of break. And I'm going to be home for a few days, discussing things with my father." he explained simply.<br>"Oh, okay then." she closed her eyes, pressing her head to his chest again. "For now, though, can we just stay like this? Just for a little longer?"  
>There was a beat of silence, stretched between the two.<br>"No." he said flatly. Grinning at her.  
>"What do you mean no?" she looked up at him with a confused expression, raising her eyebrow.<br>She was turned over until she was on her back, arms resting above her head. Eyes wide, and a blush across her face. He sat up, his hips between hers.  
>"Like this." he smiled, pressing his lips to her neck.<br>.Scene Change.  
>Kirro sat in the backseat of her car, wishing that those three days hadn't passed so quickly.<br>So much had happened within such a short time, maybe it was best to keep to herself for just a short while. So she could catch her breath, stop her mind from spinning.  
>But, it had been an amazing three days. The best in her life so far in fact.<br>It was sort of odd, how different things were now. Not even a week ago she was in Boston preparing for break. Now her boyfriend was her fiance, and she was no longer a virgin. Yes, that was an odd thought. But now that she was thinking about it, a few labels had changed but nothing felt different. She felt the same as she did a few days ago.  
>Was she expecting to feel any different?<br>No, no not really.  
>She smiled to herself as her car rolled up to her gate. Looking forward to a nice relaxing evening at home.<br>'When was the last time I was able to do that?'  
>She felt like she was jinxing something.<br>She stepped into her parlor and one of the maids informed her of something that almost shattered her hopes.  
>"Good evening, Miss Kirro, welcome back. I'll take your things for you. Oh, and, you have some guests waiting for you in the living room." the young woman said, accepting Kirro's suitcase.<br>"Thank you." Kirro nodded, taking off her shoes and making her way to the living room.  
>'No way. It can't be what I'm thinking. Why would they come here? Surely they have better things to do.' she thought, panicking inside as she calmly strutted down the hallway. 'I mean I figured they would come back to Japan, but, why here?'<br>She turned the door knob to her living room.  
>"Surprise!"<br>She was promptly pulled in by the Twins.  
>'There goes my break. Hopes effectively shattered.'<br>"What in the world? Why are you guys here?" they shoved her back on one couch, taking a seat on either side of her as she stared, confused, at all the smiling faces of the Host Club, excluding Kyouya of course.  
>"Well, it is break, Kir-chan~!" Hani giggled, seated in front of a large dish of cake that one of her servants had presumably served him.<br>Mori simply agreed, "It is break."  
>Kirro sweatdropped, "Y-yeah, I know, but, why here?" she asked again pointing to the floorboards.<br>"That's because..." Kaoru began.  
>"...we knew you were coming back today." Hikaru finished.<br>"So we decided we would stop by and see how you were!" Tamaki beamed.  
>"I'm not quite sure if that's the real reason but..." Haruhi shrugged.<br>"Who cares! We're here anyway!" the Twins laughed in unison.

"You would come all the way here just to see how I'm doing, huh?" Kirro raised an eyebrow, leaning back, crossing her right leg over her left and folding her arms. "I am a bit doubtful of that reason."

"I think they're here because for once most of us were left out of the loop and were feeling neglected." Haruhi admitted, looking pointedly towards Tamaki and the Twins.

Both aforementioned parties did their best to look shocked at the accusation and tried to claim otherwise.

"Ah, I see. Well, I really should have guessed that, right?" Kirro smiled at Haruhi, completely ignoring everyone else.

"Okay, so maybe we were feeling a little neglected." King admitted. "But we want to know how things are going-!"

"And we want the full story of everything that happened up until now." the Twins demanded.

"Well, maybe not the full story, but the important parts or at least what you're willing to tell us." Tamaki concluded his rambling, laughing lightheadedly.

"The important parts?" Kirro repeated, cocking her head.

"Um-hm."

"I came back to Japan. There was a party at the hotel my father co-founded. Kyouya and I got engaged." she said simply and quickly. "I thought you all knew as much."

There was a collective silence were everyone else sweatdropped, "That's...it?"

"No thoughts on the subject? No whimsical remembrance? Not even a starry look in your eye?" Tamaki stood up, mouth agape.

Kirro chuckled, "Not all of us are French, Tamaki."

"B-but you didn't even blush!" Kaoru added.

"Are you sure your a girl?" Hikaru questioned.

"Kir-chan's not a girl?" Hani played along.

Kirro sighed, wishing to change the subject, "Those were the important parts weren't they?"

"Y-yeah, but, I think we were expecting you to express it all differently, Kirro-senpai." Haruhi tried, a bit confused herself.

"N-not so..." King began, searching for a word.

"Dry?" the Twins offered.  
>"Exactly."<p>

"Then again, that's Kirro-senpai for you." Hikaru shrugged.

"A dandere-type character until the end." Kaoru shrugged.

"Emotionless girl?" Kirro raised her eyebrow again, at the younger twin.

"No, it works perfectly." Tamaki switched emotions. "A dandere-type character will only show their true emotions with the right person or when the right button is pushed."

"Where did you learn all of this? Renge?"

"So what is the true emotion?" the Twins asked in unison, both turned to her.

"Was Kir-chan really happy~?" Hani tried, having finished the cake.

"Sqeeing in her heart like a fangirl?" the Twins went on.

"I don't sqee and I'm not a fangirl." Kirro glared at them.

"That's no fun." they grinned, cat-like.

"You guys are just being nosy." Kirro smiled.

"But what was it?" Tamaki asked again.

"Maybe if you just told them how you felt at that moment, they would leave you alone, Kirro-senpai." Haruhi laughed.

"So what was it?" Mori spoke up.

Kirro took her time looking around the room at them, "You really want to know?"

"Um-hm."

"You sure?"

"Um-hm."

"You'll be disappointed."

"Would you just tell us already?" Kaoru asked impatiently.

"I felt...shocked and confused. So much so that I didn't even notice I had a ring on my finger until the next day." she chuckled.

There was a collective sweatdrop.

"I told you you would be disappointed. But, really, should I have been expected to react any other way? Sure I was happy, but, it doesn't really change anything that much. I am still me and Kyouya will always be Kyouya, no matter the title." she grinned at them.  
>"You're really weird." the Twins huffed.<br>"Thanks, guys. You're great for my self-esteem."  
>"No, Kirro-senpai, in this group, weird is a good thing." Haruhi laughed. "You wouldn't fit in if you weren't just a little odd."<br>"Oh? So some of us fit in better than others?" she smiled a little too darkly, all the boys.  
>"Oh, definitely." Haruhi replied back in much the same way.<br>The Twins and Tamaki felt the stab at them.  
>"We like it better when she's dandere." the Twins murmured.<p>

.Scene Change.

Kirro shut her bedroom door behind her. Today was so hectic. It seems everyone was overreacting except for her. Her friends were crazy and her mother was crying. She just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for days.

She smiled at the thought, though she knew it was impossible to fulfill.

She changed into her pajamas and slipped under the covers.

Despite being exhausted, she couldn't sleep.

She couldn't take her mind off the fact that she was in bed alone.

After three nights of sharing a bed with Kyouya, it was a little weird sleeping alone.

'Not as warm, I guess.' she smiled, curling up on her side.

She could hear her phone vibrating on the nightstand, she turned, grabbing the phone and sitting up.

She had already knew who it was before she read the name, the message read: 'I can't sleep. Promise me something.'

Kirro texted back: 'Me either. Promise you what?'

'When we get back to Boston, we always share a bed.'

She raised an eyebrow, but, it really was a good offer.

'I promise.'

.Scene Change.

'I don't even remember falling asleep.' she thought as she opened her eyes. At first she felt like she hadn't slept at all. 'It feels like hours have passed in a single second, weird.'

"You know it's noon, right? You slept for like thirteen hours."

Kirro looked down at the foot of her bed to see Aneleigh sitting Indian-style with Finn in her lap.

"Isn't that right, Finn?" Aneleigh asked of their brother, who was two-years-and-ten-months-old. He looked more like their father than their mother at the time, with straight black hair rather than curly brown hair like all of his sisters, and bright green eyes instead of his mother's deep brown ones.

In answer he nodded his head vigorously and hummed, "Mm-hm!"

A smile spread across Aneleigh's face as she hugged her little brother, "Oh, he's so cute! I love him so much!"

Kirro mirrored her sister's smile, "Yeah, he is cute. You're not much of a talker though, are you, Finn?" she played with his hair.

"Nope." he replied.

The sisters grinned.

"But, it's scary that we're so much older than him." Aneleigh whispered. "I'm almost thirteen years older than him..."

"Kind of." Kirro took her turn holding him. "I hope it doesn't cause him any problems." she whispered back. She sighed and hoisted him up, holding him above her as he giggled, "You've gotten so big haven't you, Finny?" she kissed his nose.

Aneleigh watched as the two played, until finally she spoke up, "You know, when you have little bespectacled kids with Kyouya, they'll probably only be a little younger than Finn. But, you'll be a good mom because of all the practice." she smirked.

Kirro flushed red, turning away from Finn for a moment, but all she could think of to say was, "M-myopia hasn't been proven to be genetic!"

Aneleigh just snickered and said, "Hey, I was complimenting you!"

"No, you were teasing me!" Kirro smiled. She turned to Finn, "Finny, want to help me tickle sissy?"

"No don't!" Aneleigh struggled to get away from her sister.

.Scene Change.

"Do you really have to be in here while I work?" Kirro whined, running her paintbrush along the canvas. It was weird being back in her studio room, she had definitely gotten used to the living room of her apartment. And sadly now this room just looked dull, having been stripped of most of the things it once held.  
>Margot was lying on the floor.<br>"Hey, are you asleep?" Kirro sighed. "Wouldn't your room be a more appropriate place to doze off in? Come on, Margot, wake up."  
>"Don't nag me, Alona, I'm tired." the older woman retaliated, pillowing her head in her hands.<br>"Why do you want to be in here anyways?"  
>"I need attention. Everyone else is busy."<br>"So am I." she raised an eyebrow.  
>"Yeah, but, they're busy for real reasons."<br>"Art is a real reason."  
>"Aneleigh is studying for school, Mom has Finn to take care of, and Dad is still working. Compared to what you're doing it's a real reason." she sighed. "It's not your life's work or anything."<br>Kirro stuck out her tongue, "Why do you need me here when you only wanted to sleep?"  
>"If you talked I wouldn't be bored enough to sleep, now would I?" Margot smiled smugly.<br>"It's difficult to concentrate on two different things." Kirro gave up, placing her paintbrush in the cup of water.  
>There was a drawn out silence.<br>"You wanted me to talk, what do you want to talk about?" Kirro asked, resting her head in her hand.  
>"I don't know." her sister sat up. "I guess... Well, what's it like being engaged?"<br>"Not any different from what I would normally feel like." she confessed simply.  
>"Really? You aren't like super excited or crazy nervous?"<br>"No, I've got time before marriage. I'll be in college when it happens anyway. So, I have more to think about first." she laughed a little, 'Why does everyone ask me these questions?'  
>"Yeah, but..." she moved her arms in an empty gesture. "Don't you feel anything?"<br>"...Happy? ...Yeah. I feel happy." she smiled.  
>"Isn't it a little weird, though?" Margot tried.<br>"Am I supposed to feel weird?" Kirro cocked her head.  
>"Well, you're pretty much wearing a ring that says you're about to be with just one person forever. That you're going to have lots of little glasses-wearing kids and grow old with just one person."<br>"Does that thought scare you?" Kirro asked. "Are you afraid to settle for one thing, Margot?"  
>There was no answer.<br>"Oh, and, myopia isn't genetic as far as anyone can tell." Kirro added, then sighed. "If you are afraid, though, it's perfectly normal to be that way. If I were to look at it like that, life seems limited, doesn't it? It would be like you were in an endless hallway with only one unlocked door."  
>"...You always have sounded older than you looked." Margot teased. "Makes me feel like I'm not the eldest here."<br>"...But, it isn't like that, really. It wouldn't just be one person forever. It would be the person I chose with me for the rest of my life. So it would be Kyouya forever." she ran a hand through her hair. "But, you're right, I am only seventeen, right? It should be weird, but it isn't. One lifetime is a long time, and no matter how you look at it I've still got a ways to go. It would seem like most of my life would run in a thin stable line, because I wouldn't be single? Well, there's something you wouldn't know about any of the people I know." Kirro chuckled. "There's no such thing as settled down or stable. Why would that ever change?"  
>"Well, it's true you two are really odd. And that group that you hang out with, too." Margot spoke up. "It's like whenever I see you with them you aren't speaking a language I understand."<br>"That's true." the younger sister grinned. "English, Japanese, French, on and on. It all becomes our own way of speaking no matter what. Just as unrecognizable as gibberish, huh?"  
>Margot nodded, "Hey, doesn't that ever get annoying? You're first language is English, Kyouya's is Japanese..."<br>"No, actually, sometimes we don't even need to speak and I can still understand him." Kirro confessed. "But, I have been bilingual since I was seven, and trilingual since I was nine so it's no big deal for me."  
>"It doesn't matter what language you speak... A hopelessly romantic thing to say." the older sister smiled.<br>"Yeah, and I'm never saying it again." she rolled her eyes. "Romanticism, well, I'm still unsure if it suits me or not."  
>"He must think the same way... He did give you that ring anyway, it looks nice, right?" Margot pointed to her ring finger.<br>"Yeah, but, it's not the look that counts..." Kirro blushed.  
>A moment passed and neither spoke before...<br>"But, it...is pretty, isn't it?"  
>.Scene Change.<p>

'Margot was right, everyone is busy...' her thoughts trailed off. 'Aneleigh has homework, Mom's busy with Finn, and Dad is technically still working even though he has the week off...'

She didn't know if any of her friends were busy, but, it had been a while since they had seen their families and friends, so Kirro was trying not to text anyone. Actually, Kyouya had texted her earlier, apparently he and the rest of the Hosts were planning on spending time with their old clients.

'I guess he was looking for my approval.' she chuckled. 'Sweet, but unnecessary.'

She told him it sounded like a great idea, but, that he probably shouldn't bring up the engagement issue unless they asked. She thought that was fair, and know she was feeling kind of bad, thinking about how some people were probably unhappy with the turn of events.

She frowned then, walking through the garden in her backyard though it was cold. There were only a few flowers, in muted colors, dusted with a little powdery snow, though there was hardly any snow on the ground.

'I wonder if it will be a white Christmas?' she thought randomly.

There was the sensation of her phone vibrating in her coat pocket that broke her out of her quiet trance.

She was expecting it to be one of the Hosts or possibly a sister but instead she opened her phone to someone out of the ordinary.

The text was so full of smiley faces and abbreviations, it almost hurt her eyes and brain to make sense of it.

'Kirro-senpai! :) i havent talked to u in so long! lol, I don't have anyone to hang out with since Haruhi and tamaki r out and most of my friends from school r away! So bored... :( So, I was wondering if u wanted to get out? I no some pretty cool places that u might leik, y is it that all u rich kids luv commoner crap btw? tb!' - Mei Yasumura.

Kirro wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Sure she had talked to Mei, but they weren't more than acquaintances really...

'Well, she pretty much called me her last resort...' she sighed. But, she didn't really mind that the moment, she was bored and it could be interesting.

So she did text back, 'Okay, I'm bored too. Where should we meet.'

.Scene Change.

It had been a while since Kirro had been out like this. And Mei didn't tell them about where they were going, so she just dressed casually.

She was actually surprised when she saw Mei, her hair was a bit darker and her skin was lighter, though really it was hard to get a good tan during the winter of course. And, she had said she was giving up on fake tans. And she was dressed appropriately with a minimal amount of jewelry.

Kirro still felt plain next to her, however. Mei had a decorated sweater, where Kirro just had a striped sweatshirt. Mei wore black leggings and a frilly skirt, where Kirro just wore gray jeans. And the only jewelry Kirro had on was her ring and a pair of earrings.

Kirro smiled when she saw the younger girl, "Hello, Mei-chan, how have you been?"

"I've been good, how about you?"

Mei led her to a coffee shop that Kirro did actually like. And the coffee was great, though it wasn't instant. They talked mostly about school at first, Mei was gossiping about some of the girls from hers, and Kirro was telling her how odd it was to be in America again, switching between English and Japanese most days.

"Wow, I geuss that would be hard to do. But, at least you know those languages, sometimes I don't even know Japanese!" Mei joked.

And then the conversation switched to the Host Club. How everyone was doing and what living with them was like.

"It's fun, but it's definitely more exhausting than it was back at Ouran. I never knew how much trouble the Twins could stir up until I realized that they could create new problems everyday." she laughed.

"Really? I hardly ever talk to them anymore. Are they that bad?"

"Yes, but, it's not as bad as when they're bored. Did anyone ever tell you about my second week at Ouran?"

"No, what happened?"

"Monday, all of my paintings for the Club were painted over. Tuesday, every single pencil I owned was just gone. Wednesday, they had messed with my paints. Thursday all of my camera film was overexposed to light. Friday, I was no longer allowed on my writing site because it had been blocked." she held up a hand counting them off on her fingers. "All in my second week, a warm welcome." she rolled her eyes.

Mei was laughing, "Those two suck."

"Yeah, I know. They prey on me whenever they're bored or they're up to something." she sighed, smiling.

"Ooh, maybe they're just mean to you because they have crushes on you, like little kids do." Mei teased.

"Well, um, actually, I'm pretty sure they're getting over their thing for Haruhi and maybe a little thing for themselves and well...it's been pretty obvious for a while that I'm, well, not available." she held up her hand, revealing her ring.

"Holy crap you're married?" Mei yelled, in her normally loud voice.

"No, no! Not married, it's an engagement ring." Kirro went wide eyed.

"Oh...holy crap you're engaged?" she yelled again, attracting attention.

Kirro blushed, embarrassed, "Yeah, but, this is kind of a new thing. But, I have been in a relationship for quite a while now." she mumbled.

"Wow, I wish I was engaged." Mei thought dreamily. "So, who's the guy? Is he American or Japanese? And what's he like? Is he kind of quiet and mousy, like you? Or maybe he's like your total opposite and really loud and hyper?" she asked quickly.

"Um, well, actually..."

"Or is...it a girl?" Mei raised an eyebrow. "I'm not against that or anything, even if it is a little different..."

"No, um, you already know him." Kirro said quietly.

"Oh! Are they a Host?" she quizzed.

"Yes."

"Black hair?"

"Yes."

"Is it Mori-senpai?"

"No!" Kirro cocked her head.

"Kyouya-senpai!" she smiled.

"Yes." Kirro grinned a little.

"I knew that, I was just teasing you earlier. Come to think of it, you two were together a lot when we were all hanging out that one summer." the younger girl said. Sipping from her coffee.

"R-right. Thinking about that brings back memories." she smiled. "I was so oblivious back then." she chuckled. "Which reminds me, how are you and your father getting along?" Kirro asked innocently, hoping it wasn't still a berserk button to bring up Misuzu in a conversation with Mei.

"That fish-lipped weirdo?" Mei put her coffee cup down with a loud clink. "He's still an idiot, but, I guess he's alright. He made me this skirt actually."

"It looks nice on you."

.Scene Change.

It had been an unexpectedly nice time at the coffee shop, but, it was getting late and they had decided to leave. Kirro paid the bill and told Mei that she would give her a ride home in her family's car since it was so dark now.

"Thanks, I completely forgot to watch the time." Mei sighed. "I missed my favorite show. Oh well, I guess they'll show it again, right?"

"Probably." Kirro opened up her phone. "We should wait at the corner for my driver, it's easier that way. Well, once I get a signal..." she trailed off moving her phone around trying to find signal as she walked.

"Hey girls, what are you doing out so late?" the voice was older, and slurred.

Kirro immediately whipped around to see two older men walking up to them.

"We're heading home." Mei said flatly.

"Why? You should hang out with us." one said, grabbing Mei's wrist.

"Get off of me, we're leaving."

"Oh come on, we're not bad guys." the other said.

Without even thinking, Kirro grabbed the small canister of mace she kept in her purse, walked right up to the man holding Mei's arm and sprayed it right in his face.

"God! Ow, that fucking stings!" he screeched, letting go of Mei's wrist.

She pointed it at the other guy, threatening to spray it "Leave. Now." she said with her shadowiest voice.

"Jesus! We weren't gonna hurt you, damn!" he grabbed the wrist of the screeching guy and pulled him away.

Kirro just watched them leave.

"Holy hell, Kirro-senpai, what was that just now? You were so cool!" Mei broke her silence.

Kirro turned and started shaking, "I don't even know. I was so scared." she had tears in her eyes. "I just reacted!" and now she was shaking almost uncontrollably. 'Lovely, a panic attack.'

"Kirro-senpai, are you gonna be okay?" Mei asked, hugging her.

"I was so scared just then." was all she said in reply.

Mei guided her back to the coffee shop where they got her some water and helped her calm down. She had her breathing in control by the time the Hosts got there, Mei had called them.

Kyouya was the first one there, he pulled her up out of her chair, holding her to him, "Kirro, it's okay. I'm here. You don't have to panic." he said calmly.

"I'm sorry, Kyouya. I just got so scared for no reason." she murmured, hiding her face.

"You don't have to be sorry. You don't have to be scared any more. You handled the situation extremely well, you should be happy." he murmured back to her.

It was one of those moments when she thought everyone else had disappeared. Like they were the only ones in the room, in the world. And she was feeling better already.

"Kir-chan saved Mei-chan like a superhero~!" Hani cheered from Mori's shoulders.

"Yeah, and it's fine now since we're here, Kirro-senpai!" the Twins said in unison. "So you don't have to worry anymore."

"Men like that really make me mad. You should be glad that you scared them off." Haruhi encouraged.

"Yeah, Kirro, you really took matters into your own hands. No need to be scared. That story was really cool!" Tamaki added.

"I bet she really hurt that one guy." Hikaru said to his brother.

"It must have sucked to get sprayed in the eyes with pepper!" Kaoru laughed.

"Th-thanks you guys. You're great, really." she smiled, though they probably couldn't see it.

"Let's get you home." Kyouya said. "We'll tell your parents what happened and you can get some sleep. It's late after all."

"Y-yeah."

.Scene Change.

Her mother was so shocked when Kirro came back still a little panicked. But, she let Kyouya take her upstairs while the rest of the group explained what had happened.

"I was really worried." Kyouya said as he sat down next to her on her bed. "I was afraid you had been hurt."

"No, just me panicking. I'm really sorry." she apologized again.

"Stop apologizing. You didn't do anything wrong."

"But, I didn't mean to worry you."

"I know it wasn't your fault." he raised an eyebrow. "Even if you hadn't panicked I would have shown up anyway, just to make sure you were alright."

"I know, but, it was such a small and stupid thing. We weren't threatened or anything."

"I wasn't what happened but what could have happened that matters." he laid down next to her. "I don't know what I would do if you got hurt." it was such a quiet statement. But it hung so heavily in the air.

She looped her arms around his neck, pressing her head to his chest. And he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I'll stay here until someone comes by to talk to you." he kissed her forehead.  
>She chuckled, "It seems so stupid now. I'm sorry."<br>"I told you to quit apologizing."  
>"Sorry."<br>He sighed, raising an eyebrow.  
>"Oh, damn, I didn't mean, well..."<br>.Scene Change.  
>"You okay now?" Aneleigh asked, once again sitting on the edge of Kirro's bed.<br>Kirro rested on her back, arms folded over her stomach, "Yeah, just embarrassed. I feel so stupid for freaking out like I did. Nothing happened."  
>"Yeah, but, you had every right to be scared. I mean, you really could have gotten hurt." her sister explained. "We were all really worried about you."<p>

"But, it sounded pretty cool how you took care of those guys." Aneleigh smiled weakly. "The way Haninozuka-senpai said you were like a hero or something."  
>"Hani-senpai wasn't even there." Kirro chuckled. "And I don't even remember thinking about what I was doing when I was doing it. I just sort of reacted."<br>"Which is good."  
>"Why?"<br>"If you had just allowed them to harass you, things could have gotten worse."  
>Kirro sighed, "Maybe..."<br>"Anyway, I'm glad you're feeling okay."  
>"That makes two of us." Kirro sat up, running a hand through her hair. She sighed, "It's funny, last night I was thinking about how Haruhi went through a similar situation. And her life was definitely threatened, but, afterward, she wasn't even scared. In fact it was the opposite. And she was freaking thrown off a cliff! And here I am, I just maced a drunk dude, one of two who were probably just acting weird because they were drunk and I freaking broke down and started crying even though I was fine."<br>"Hey, it's okay-"  
>"Yeah, but, it just makes me feel really weak, you know." she frowned. "I thought I could handle things like that, but, I guess not."<br>"Really? I think you handled it pretty well. And it doesn't sound like you were acting weak to me. Plus, the panic attack was the lesser of the two evils last night." she counted off her points on her fingers. "And, even if you feel weak, do you realize how many people came to calm you down? Even when you can't be strong, you have friends to be strong for you, which is all you can ask for. And then there's your family of course." she smiled.  
>Kirro blinked at her blankly. A smile spread across her face, "You're too good for your own good, Ane." she hugged her little sister.<br>"I know."  
>.Scene Change.<br>"So, so far this vacation has been eventful." Kirro said to her mother, who was braiding Kirro's hair. "It's always one thing after another here in Japan." she smiled.  
>"Yes, but, we're glad you're back." her mom gave her hair a soft tug. "We haven't been able to do this in months. Aneleigh and I missed you so bad, and Finn missed you, too, didn't you Finn?" she looked down at Finn, who was busy rolling around on the floor.<br>"Hm?" he murmured.  
>"Didn't you miss sissy when she was away?" she cooed.<br>"Yeah, mm-hm." he answered impatiently.  
>"Thanks, Finn, I feel so loved." Kirro chuckled.<br>"He really did miss you, I swear." her mom sighed. "I'm glad to see you're alright today."  
>"Yeah, me too. I actually wasn't expecting to be this calm. I haven't had a panic attack in years."<br>"When your friends brought you in yesterday, you looked like you had just killed someone."  
>"Really?"<br>"Yes, and do you know what my first thought was?" she tied up the braid.  
>"Was it... 'What happened?'" Kirro asked, turning to her mom.<br>"Well, yes, but, the second was, 'Who do I have to kill?'" she smiled, it was suspiciously...evil-looking.  
>"Oh God, I had always wondered where I got that smile." Kirro grinned. "You're great mom."<br>"Well, it's in my maternal nature to protect my babies." she sighed. "Even if you aren't a baby anymore."  
>"Hey, I'm not all grown up, yet." Kirro tried.<br>"Honey, you're about to turn eighteen-"  
>"In five months."<br>"-and you're almost through with your last year of high school-"  
>"In six months."<br>"-and you're engaged to be married."  
>"Y-yeah, but, we haven't even set a date yet nor have we planned anything."<br>"I think you're grown up enough. Though you've always been an old soul."  
>"So I'm told." Kirro frowned. "Now I feel old."<br>"Oh please, wait until you're in your late forties with four kids, then tell me about feeling old." her mother raised an eyebrow, pulling on Kirro's braid again.  
>"Ow, ow."<br>Her mom chuckled, "Such long hair."  
>"Like a princess, sissy!" Finn spoke up, watching his mother and sister from where he sat on the floor.<br>.Scene Change.  
>It was one of those rare times when her father actually had nothing to do, at least nothing urgent. So, it was surprising when her dad actually came into the living room to watch television. Kirro was reading at the time, so it was just them in the room. And as he flipped through channels, she decided she was going to ask him the question that had been on her mind for the last week or so.<br>"So, Dad...why arranged marriage?" she didn't look up from her page.  
>"What? Are you unhappy with my decision?" he asked, not turning from the screen.<br>"No...it's just..."  
>"That's why." he answered simply with a smile. "I knew it would make you happy and, though there's not much benefit from it, there's surely no loss. It's a partnership that disguises itself as a bonding tie between two companies that are fairly influential. Though, at it's core it's just my way of pushing you out there. Ensuring your future and all that. Though my offer for heir is always open if you want something else." he settled on the news.<br>"No, I'm perfectly content." she answered back, mimicking his smile.  
>"Alright. Now, if I could only find a way to settle Margot." he mused out loud.<br>She gave him an odd look that said, "Is marrying off your daughters really how you plan to solve their problems?"  
>"What? Don't give me that look. You know something needs to be done about that girl. And I find marriage to be a rather good solution to most things." he answered back honestly.<br>"It...it won't always work, you know." Kirro raised an eyebrow.  
>"True, but, your mother and I were arranged to marry and we worked out, and as far as I can tell you and Kyouya have no problems."<br>"Yeah, but..."  
>"And I wouldn't force anyone into something they weren't okay with. And, love can be found quite often in those situations, and love usually makes things better."<br>Kirro chuckled.  
>"Hey, I'm not a philosopher."<br>"That's good."  
>"Why do the women in my house always tease me?" he smiled.<br>"We do have a fairly matriarchal household." Kirro offered. "I feel bad for Finn."  
>"No, he'll grow up used to it." he shrugged. "By the way, I'm fine with you hanging out with people of a lower status, just try to keep to good neighborhoods from now on."<br>"Oh, trust me, I will. My friends will be lucky if I even go outside for the rest of this vacation." she joked.  
>"See, I told you you were awkward, and a recluse." he joked back.<br>There was a stretched silence.  
>"You want to know what made me so sure that I had made the right decision to set up your marriage?" he asked calmly.<br>"What?"  
>"When he practically carried you to your room after your panic attack and proceeded to stay there with you until he knew you were going to be alright and someone else was there with you."<br>"Oh... Wait... You didn't know you were sure about that until then?" she went wide eyed.  
>"No." he grinned.<br>"Y-you scare me sometimes, Dad."  
>He just nodded in response. <p>


	11. Chapter 11

Random A.N. Actually, I think Ouran the live action is growing on me.

Chapter Eleven: Out Cold and Magic.

'Wow, it snowed quite a bit.' Kirro thought as she jumped around in the snow. 'It's kind of powdery, though.' "So, what are we doing again?"

The group was standing around in the Hitachiin backyard, they had all decided to get together and enjoy the snow day.

"Jeez, Kirro-senpai, you really don't get out much do you?" Hikaru teased.

"We can't waste a snowy day." Kaoru informed her.

"Yeah, there's a lot of fun stuff you can do on days like these." Haruhi added. "My Dad and I always built snowmen when I was little." she smiled.

"Aw! That's so cute!" Tamaki grinned, pulling Haruhi into a death hug. Most likely imagining a little Haruhi playing around in a winter wonderland.

"Yeah~! And you can make snow angels and forts~!" Hani cheered, toting Usa-chan in his jacket.

"And have snowball fights." Mori added.

Kyouya was staying out of the snow, opting rather to sit on the Twins' patio and watch everyone else get cold.

"I've always wanted to have a snowball fight." Kirro mused.

"Wait! You mean you've never had one?" the Twins looked shocked. "You really don't get out much!"

"Are you forgetting I grew up in Southern California, boys? Snowstorms come few and far between." she raised an eyebrow.

"Then let's have one~!" Hani decided.

With everyone in agreement, they had a snowball fight. Kirro was almost instantly regretting it. She had forgotten the she couldn't hit the broad side of a barn from two feet away, in other words, she had terrible aim. So she was easy prey for pretty much everyone, and snow was very cold.

"Kyouya!" she whined, running over to him.

"Kirro." he said back with a smile.

"You should help me!" she tried. "I'm really bad at this and I keep getting picked on." she said with a frown. "I can't hit anyone."

"You do have horrible aim."

She gave him a hopeful look.

"You're the one that wanted to play." he stated. "I'm not getting cold running around in the snow."

"But, please?"

"No." he said with a sense of finality.

"Okay, fine, be a meanie." she said child-like, sticking out her tongue, walking back out into the snow. She smiled as she balled up some powdery snow, turned back around and hit him right in the arm. "Hey, I actually got you!"

"You're so lucky that didn't my face." he raised his eyebrow. "Fine, you're plan worked, I'll play, but I'll only target you." he grinned.

"No, I don't need another person targeting me!" she ran off with him following her, snowball in hand.

At least she was good at dodging, in fact she was once able to dodge one of his snowballs, and it ended up hitting Hikaru right in the face.

Sadly it distracted her from running and she was quickly caught. Kyouya unzipped her jacket and dropped snow down the front of her shirt.

"Holy-! Cold cold cold cold!" she tried to get all of the snow out of her shirt. "That wasn't very nice, Kyouya!" she laughed.

"Hm? What I didn't do anything." he smiled, but his teasing was interrupted by a snowball to the face. From Tamaki. "You're dead, Tamaki." he glared, using Kirro's shirt to clean his glasses.

That was when he really joined the snowball fight. Though it didn't work to Kirro's advantage, as they weren't playing with teams. But really she wasn't hit as much, when she was attacked it was mostly by Kyouya.

"Hey, no fair! We aren't playing on teams!" Hikaru yelled from across the yard.

"Yeah, you can't guard Kirro-senpai, Kyouya-senpai!" Kaoru added.

"I'm not guarding anyone." he lied. "See?" he threw a snowball and it hit Kirro on the arm as a demonstration.

"Hey, that wasn't very nice." Kirro balled up a snowball. Aiming to hit him back.

"Who said I was playing nice?" he asked, grabbing her arm and pulling her in for a quick kiss. Which was interrupted by Hikaru's snowball, which collided with both of their faces.

"Oh, that was like the perfect shot!" the dark-haired twin laughed loudly.

"Not cool, Hikaru! I'm going to get you back for that!" Kirro threatened. She aimed the ball she had made, and completely missed.

"Please, you couldn't hit him if he was right in front of you." Kyouya teased. Throwing his snowball and hitting Hikaru's back.

.Scene Change.

"I'm out!" Kirro huffed, falling back into the snow tiredly.  
>"Loser!" the Twins stuck out their tongues at her, from opposite sides of their yard.<br>"Kir-chan~? Are you making a snow angel~?" Hani asked, crouching down next to her.  
>"Well, I wasn't but..." she swished her arms and legs, creating the imprint of an angel in the snow. She sat up, and drew a halo around the angel's head. She then proceeded to draw elaborate angel wings from the shoulders. "That's how you do it like an artist." she smirked.<br>Hani made his own next to her's and Usa-chan's next to his, and then Mori made one next to Usa-chan's.  
>"We make the best snow angels." Kirro grinned at the two.<br>"Yeah." Mori agreed, patting Kirro's head.  
>"Hold on! I want to make one, too!" Tamaki ceased throwing snowballs, rushing over to where the snow angels were. He flopped down in the snow with a grin. "Haruhi! Come on, we can make a family of snow angels!"<br>"Fine! But only if Kirro-senpai gives mine wings!" Haruhi giggled.  
>"Sure." Kirro smiled at her as she laid back in the snow next to Tamaki.<br>"Psh. We can make our own wings twice as great as Kirro-senpai's." Hikaru claimed from Kirro's right, poking her cheek.  
>"Yeah, we're artists too, after all." Kaoru poked her opposite cheek.<br>She poked both of them back, hard in the sternums, "Yeah, whatever, you two."  
>"Kyou-chan~! You should make one, too~!" Hani grinned.<br>"No thank you, I'm snowy enough." he said.  
>"Oh, c'mon, Kyouya, everyone else made one." Tamaki pleaded.<br>"Yes, I think eight snow angels are enough."  
>"Kyouya, you're either making a snow angel of your own free will or I'll force you to make one." Kirro faux threatened.<br>"And how would you do that?" he smirked.  
>She pushed him back in the snow. He got back up immediately, not bothering to move his arms or legs.<br>"You'll regret that later." he glared at her, brushing himself off.  
>"Probably." she smiled. "It doesn't matter if your angel doesn't have a robe, I guess." she drew a halo around its head.<br>"That was cruel, Kirro-senpai." the Twins laughed.  
>"I know, I've become so abusive." she put a hand to her forehead.<br>.Scene Change.  
>"Kirro-senpai, it's about time you got here!" the Twins pestered her as she entered the Suoh's first estate.<br>She stuck out her tongue with a smile, "Were you waiting on me?" she teased.  
>One of Tamaki's maids gave her a small bow, "May I take your coat, Miss?"<br>"Thank you." Kirro slipped out of her winter coat, allowing the woman to carry it away.  
>"Come on, you're one of the last ones here." they pulled her along, her large bag with everyone's gifts in tow.<br>"I'm not the last one here?" she sighed in relief. "You were making me think I was late."  
>"No, Hani-senpai and Mori-senpai are on their way." Kaoru explained, dragging her by her left arm.<br>"Yeah, last night's snow made the roads way icy." Hikaru complained, dragging her by her right arm.  
>"Tell me about it." she added with wide eyes. "The car ride over was relatively scary."<br>They were in the sitting room now, which had been decorated extravagantly with tinsel and garlands, complete with a beautifully dressed pine tree in the center of the room. Kirro grinned, reminded of the Third Music Room at this time of year.  
>"Hey, Kirro-senpai's here!" the Twins announced finally releasing her.<br>"Kirro!" Tamaki gave her a crushing hug. "I'm so glad you could make it!"  
>"Me, too, Tamaki." she struggled in his death grip. Finally he released her after a few spins, "But, really, out of all of you, I'm probably the least busy right now." she chirped.<br>"This vacation has been hectic." Kyouya strode over to her. "I'm ready to go back to Boston for the remainder of it." he lifted her chin, giving her a quick kiss.  
>"Yeah, but do you really think any of our vacations are going to be peaceful, Kyouya-senpai?" Haruhi asked with a raised eyebrow.<br>"You have a point."  
>"I don't think it matters if this part was hectic." Tamaki grinned, posing with a peace sign and a wink. "We got to see how everyone at Ouran was doing and I had a lot of fun!" he laughed.<br>"Well, I am really glad everyone took the truth about my gender so well." Haruhi began to agree.  
>"Of course they would, Haruhi, I don't think anyone could get mad at this face." Kirro smiled, pinching one of Haruhi's cheeks affectionately.<br>"What are you doing, Kirro-senpai?" Haruhi gave her an odd look.  
>"But we wouldn't have thought you would have disliked this vacation, Kyouya-senpai." the Twins went into teasing mode beside Kyouya. They grinned, "Or have you already forgotten about the ring on Kirro-senpai's finger?"<br>"I haven't." he raised an eyebrow in their direction.  
>"Quit your teasing, boys." Kirro poked them both in the foreheads, with a pink tint to her cheeks.<br>"Tama-chan~!" everyone heard Hani's honey-sweet voice as he entered the room with Mori. "I brought cake for everyone~!" he pointed to the boxes in Mori's hands.  
>"Sounds great, Hani-senpai, we can put it on the table over here." Tamaki said in greeting.<br>Kirro smiled, 'It's been a while since we've had any time to ourselves. And an even longer while since we've been able to have a celebration all together.'  
>"It's refreshing, isn't it?" Kyouya asked from her side, placing a kiss on her temple.<br>"Mm-hm." she hummed.  
>.Scene Change.<br>It was the day after Christmas, and Kirro had had a really nice, quiet Christmas at home with her family, but, she was actually having a lot of fun today at the Suoh's first estate with everyone. She was in a good mood, so much so that not only was she tolerating the Twins' teasing, she was actually playing along with them at times. The day wore on and they all had dinner together and they played out in the snow and they told stories and jokes. And then came time for presents.  
>This was an interesting matter when everyone was planning the party. After all, there was a 'commoner' in their midst, so they decided to set a few interesting rules that made shopping harder: everything had to be under 500 yen, which converts to roughly six dollars and fifty cents. Which meant that there were many places Kirro had to visit and there was quite a bit of time wasted as she hunted for something that would be a good gift. In the end, there were many quirky and odd gifts given, like her gift to Tamaki was a snow globe containing a raccoon family sitting under a kotatsu. Though really the more she thought about it that was definitely the perfect gift. She got a pair of tanuki earmuffs for Haruhi, a kendo warrior figurine for Mori, a cute plushie pillow for Hani, almost-but-not-quite-matching rubber stamp sets for the Twins and a cool-looking pocket watch for Kyouya. And she received a pen set from Haruhi, an bunny-covered blanket from Hani, cat earrings from Tamaki, an animal-covered journal from Mori, a polka-dotted scarf from the Twins, and a silvery necklace from Kyouya.<br>"This was probably one of the best ideas ever." Kirro grinned. "I wish we had time to do this kind of thing more often."  
>"I know what you mean!" Tamaki agreed, still donning the hat Haruhi had given him.<br>"Well, after today we'll have ten days left of our vacation." Haruhi stated.  
>"I don't see why we can't at least make something of them in Boston." Kyouya smirked.<br>"Yeah, and we still have New Year's to look forward to!" the Twins flashed peace signs.  
>"Kir-chan~! Kir-chan~!" Hani hugged her. "How do you celebrate New Year's in America~?"<br>"Umm...well, there's fireworks and most people watch a giant crystal ball being lowered over Times Square in New York City." she explained. "We pretty much only celebrate on New Year's Eve, though."  
>"Really? In France we celebrate New Year's Eve with a feast." Tamaki went on to explain. "Then we celebrate New Year's Day by exchanging resolutions and kisses." he seemed to sparkle as he included the end of his explanation.<br>"That sounds familiar, in America it's said that if you kiss someone at exactly midnight of the first, you'll stay with that person for the rest of the year." Kirro explained.  
>"Those are really great traditions~!" Hani complimented.<br>"Yeah." Mori agreed.  
>"They sound funny to me." Hikaru raised an eyebrow.<br>"Especially the kissing part." Kaoru added.  
>"Well, what can you do?" Kirro stuck her tongue out. "I didn't make them."<br>.Scene Change.  
>"Thanks for stopping by, guys! I'm really glad you could all come, I had a lot of fun!" Tamaki gushed as everyone got ready to leave. Though really he was going to go too so he could escort Haruhi home.<br>"Ah, Kirro, let me give you a ride home." Kyouya offered as she said her goodbyes.  
>"Hm? Sure, if you don't mind." she grinned, taking his hand.<br>"Why would I?" he smirked, kissing her hand.  
>On the way home, in the privacy of the backseat of the limousine, they shared the first real kiss they had had since their last day at the hotel. When he pulled away he chuckled, asking, "How many days has it been since we've even been able to kiss?"<p>

"Too many. I love being with my family here, but, I miss the way things are at Boston." she admitted with a small smirk.

"Don't you think the way things are even there will change?" he asked her, his lips only a millimeter or so away from hers.

"Wait, what do you mean?" she raised an eyebrow, not minding the close distance as she used to.

"I mean, some things have changed...or do you think we would just be kissing when we got back to Boston?" he chuckled, running a finger down her jaw line.

Her face reddened, "Of course that's not all..."

He grinned, kissing her again, "Still fun to mess with. I don't quite understand it, you still blush whenever you pick up on what I'm implying."

"Half of the time you aren't implying anything, you'll express it plainly." she told him.

"Only if I want to see your face turn crimson." he chuckled. "Like if I were to say something like, 'In a matter of days I'll have you all to myself, in my bed, calling out my name.'"

True to his theory her cheeks went from tinted pink to bright red, "You're teasing me." she accused with a slight whine.

"I'm not teasing you, I'm just stating facts." he smirked arrogantly. "Fine, maybe I am teasing you a little bit." he admitted.

"So arrogant." she sighed.

"Someone has to be." he chuckled.  
>She cocked her head to one side, "And what's that supposed to mean?"<br>"I'm just saying that you're hardly ever outspoken is all. But, of course, we both know that." he smirked. "So, it's alright for me to be arrogant because I pick up where you leave off."  
>"Oh, so being big-headed is a good thing now?"<br>"Good in comparison to your mousiness."  
>"I am not mousy." she scoffed.<br>"What was that? I can't hear you, you'll have to speak up." he held a hand next to his ear, mocking her.  
>"Watch out, you're holier than thou is showing." she folded her arms.<br>"I'm sorry I still can't hear you." he said in a whisper, now mocking her voice.  
>"Real mature, Mr. I'm a God among men." she gave him a small shove.<br>"It's okay that you shoved me because I'm too submissive to do anything about it." he said in the same whisper, a mere mumble.  
>"Are you pretending to be me?" she sighed. "I'm not that submissive, jerk!" she stuck her tongue out.<br>"Have any evidence that says otherwise, wallflower?"  
>"Narcissist!" she accused with a frown.<br>"Recluse." he combatted, pointing at her with a smile in his eye.  
>"Egotistical prat!" she poked his chest.<br>Their lips were millimeters away from each other. He smirked and closed the distance, nipping her bottom lip as he pulled away.  
>"I wouldn't have you any other way, you know." he stated, running a finger down her jaw line.<br>"I guess you do have your reasons to be conceited." her eyes imitated the color of melting chocolate.  
>"An interesting way to word 'You're hot'?" he chuckled, kissing her again.<br>"Maybe..." she kissed his neck. "You know, sometimes, you drive me crazy."

"In a good way or a bad way?" he asked, still donning a smirk.

"I'm still deciding." she sighed.

The car pulled up through her drive way.

"It seems this is your stop, it's too bad, I was having fun." he sighed.

"We'll be in Boston the day after tomorrow, so don't look so rejected." she chuckled.

"But I want to take you home today." he teased, raising an eyebrow.

She blushed, but said, "Since you've been so patient, I'm thinking about freeing up an entire day. A whole day to ourselves, how does that sound?"

"Heavenly." he kissed her goodbye.

.Scene Change.

"Mom, I'll be in touch, please don't cry, it's not like you'll never see me again." Kirro tried to console her mother, who was yet again watching her daughter leave for Boston.

"I know, it's just, I feel like you're growing up too fast." her mother patted her eyes dry with a handkercheif. "I don't want to miss a moment."

"Tust me, mom. You're not missing much." she hugged her mother for the fourth time. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Kirro strode over to Aneleigh and Finn, "And goodbye to you two, too." she kissed Finn on the forehead and he giggled with glee and mumbled something she couldn't quite make out.

"I think he's glad your leaving." Aneleigh teased.

Kirro stuck out her tongue but hugged her younger sister tightly.

Her father and Margot had already left. Her father for work and Margot for her friends in Paris. So, there was nothing left for Kirro to do.

"I'll most likely be back Spring Break, so it won't be too long until you see me again." she smiled.

.Scene Change.

After the long plane ride, everyone was finally back to Boston. And though it was too late to do anything, Kirro was just glad to be able to rest. She left all of her bags in her living room, deciding she would rather deal with them later. Instead she changed into her pajamas.

She was about ready to collapse on her bed and sleep for hours but then she remembered something.

She sighed and smiled, opening the door that connected to Kyouya's apartment.

"Kyouya, I'm tired and I promised I would share a bed with you." she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

He was in the middle of unpacking, "Hm? Oh, that's right." he chuckled. "Well, I can leave this for tomorrow, let me change and I'll join you." he stood up, pulling her into his arms and kissing her ear.

"Okay." she hugged him.

He quickly changed into his pajamas and they got under his covers. She curled up, hands to his chest and he put his arms around her.

"I missed this." she admitted, feeling warm and tired.

"I have too." he chuckled, running a hand down to her hip. "This and a few other things, but, we can get to those later."

"Good." she replied, a little less embarrassed than she normally would have been.


	12. Chapter 12

A.N. I'm gonna be blunt: Lemon.

Chapter Twelve: Night, Words, and Stars.

The first thing Kirro was aware of when she woke up was that it was very warm for a December night. But, that was probably because of the combination of the heating, heavy comforter and a sleeping Kyouya who seemed to be keen on making sure there was no distance between them. The second thing she was aware of was, with a peek over Kyouya's shoulder, the clock read three a.m.

'What the hell am I doing awake at three?' she questioned herself. 'I'm warm, comfortable, I don't need anything. So, just, why?' she blamed her insomnia. But then she remembered that she had slept quite a while on the plane trip over yesterday and they had gotten to sleep at around nine so she had probably just messed up her sleep schedule. 'Which will take forever to correct.' she thought as she pressed her forehead to Kyouya's chest. 'I don't want to wake him up, so, should I just lie here until he wakes up? And did he fall asleep shirtless? I was so sure he was fully clothed.'

She found her eyes wandering down his torso. She had to admit, she liked that he was somewhere between scrawny and muscular. And, though she hated being short, she thought his height attributed to his appeal. Her gaze traveled up his chest, to his neck, to his face. 'Cliche-ly enough...' she thought, '...he does look peaceful in his sleep...'

She smiled, pressing her forehead back to his chest, he felt so warm, his arm around her waist especially. But, it was comfortable really. Without really realizing what she was doing, she began to let a finger glide up and down his chest as she waited there, lost in her thoughts.

He stirred and she went still, but it was too late, he was already awake.

"Kirro, what are you doing?" he asked with a slight growl. He turned his head to look at the clock. "It's three a.m." he raised an eyebrow at her, lowering the hand that was under his pillow to her hair.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." she apologized quietly.

"Why are you awake?" he asked, pulling on her hair until she allowed him access to her neck, which he kissed and nipped quickly.

"Ah, um, I just couldn't get back to sleep." she admitted with a blush.

"Why?" he asked, a hint of Hypotensive Demon King in his voice, he looked down at her with his impatient gray eyes.

"I woke up and haven't been able to get back to sleep yet." she told him. "But go back to sleep, I promise I won't wake you up anymore."

"What if I'm not tired?" he asked with a smirk, taking the hand off of her waist and skimming his fingers down her hip and thigh, pulling her leg up to rest on his hip.

She knew what he wanted, it was very easy to tell when she was pressed so close to him. But, still she said, "Then don't go to sleep, it makes no difference to me." she smiled.

"It should." he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"Kyouya! That tickles!" she laughed, trying to push him away.

"What about this?" he slid his hand back to the small of her back and pushed her up against him, biting her neck.

"Ah!" she squeaked, moving her leg from resting on his hip to resting on his waist. "S-stop that..." she pleaded, as he chuckled.

Pulling away, he licked and blew on the red mark he left, he released her and she leaned back, feeling the mark that was hot and cold at the same time.

"Why do you always do this to me?" she questioned, attempting to hide her neck with her hands.

"Maybe if you stop grinding your hips against mine, I wouldn't have to be so rough." he said with a smirk.

"I-I didn't realize I was..." she trailed off, face turning redder.

He pushed her over onto her back, and trapped her wrists at either side of her head, on his hands and knees above her. "It wasn't exactly a complaint, just a suggestion that would make things easier for you." he stated next to her ear.

"Make what easier?" she asked faux innocently, pulling her knees up to touch either side of his stomach.

In answer he kissed her, and as he pulled away he explained, "I have to find some way to put you to bed."

She flushed red again, as he kissed her once more, before beginning to trail down her neck and across her collar bone, familiar with all the tender spots along the way.

'Is this what he considers back to normal?' she chuckled with a sigh. 'I have missed this...'

She took a moment to pull off her nightshirt, still beneath him, and he kissed down her covered breasts to her pale stomach, stopping at the waist band of her pants. She shivered as she saw the goosebumps that rose along her skin as he descended, despite still being covered in the comforter and feeling hot all over.

He smirked, sitting up and allowing the covers to fall back, "Cold?" he ran a hand down her leg, "You don't feel like it."

She sat up and raised an eyebrow, pushing him back and beneath her, "Enough talking." she smiled, kissing him this time.

It wasn't often that she acted like this but she loved it, and he never protested.

She let her tongue trail down his chest, wondering if she heard him growl or chuckle as she stopped just above the hem of his pajama pants. She slid them down easily with one finger and a smirk on her face as he leaned up on an elbow. One hand at her jaw, kissing again but longer and deeper. She felt his hand ghost down to her back, taking a moment to undo the clasp to her bra. He pulled away a little breathlessly, running his hand up to her left breast, sitting up fully he pushed her closer to him by placing his free arm across her back, he brought his lips down to her right breast as she ran her hands into his hair, curling her toes. Her breath came out in shaky sighs and quick inhales and she felt so hot despite being left only in her shorts. His palm and tongue at each nipple, she pushed down her shorts and panties, hoping that would make him proceed a little quicker.

He pinched, and she pushed herself back, "Don't be so impatient." he warned her, hand wandering back to her hair.

"But I can't help it." she pressed her hands against his chest, kissing his neck quickly at first before sucking his skin, biting as he groaned beside her ear. "Please?" she asked.

He took the opportunity to pull off his pants and boxers as she pulled away, and she took a moment to pull off her shorts and panties before straddling him again.

He had his hands at her hips, as their mouths connected, he pulled her down. For a moment it was awkward but she worked on her rhythm with him guiding her. She moaned into the kiss as she was full of him and he seemed to be all around her and she had her arms wrapping around his back with her hands at his shoulders. When the kiss was broken he had one hand in her hair again, his mouth at her neck as he listened to her mewl as she became more confident in the sway of her hips. Her back arced until her stomach met his, feeling the heat in her core slip away as she rode out her orgasm with a stifled moan. He wrapped his arm around the small of her back as he let go, cumming just after her.

The only sound in the room was of them catching their breath.

Her hands slid down his chest as she got off of his lap on weak knees, sitting back and drawing her knees together, feeling vulnerable.

He rested an arm on a knee and supported himself on the other arm, a smirk across his face, "Are we trying out new positions now?"

She blushed at his question, but offered no answer, opting instead to take his hand and pull him back into the pillows where they settled under the blanket again.

"I have to say, I was a bit surprised at your eagerness at first." he smiled, kissing her temple.

"I guess I can only be meek for so long." she offered, "You have a way of making me more agressive."

"Do I?" he chuckled. "I wonder if that's good or bad, I guess I'll find out later. Don't forget you promised me an entire day." he growled next to her ear.

She shivered at the meaning behind his words.

.Scene Change.

'You know it's going to be a bad day when you wake up, take a shower, get dressed and find the Twins in your living room.'

"We've been waiting for you for forever." Hikaru glared.

"Yeah, you take really long showers." Kaoru glared.

"That and you sleep for days uninterrupted." they both huffed.

She just raised her eyebrow, "What the hell are you doing in my living room?"

"What the hell are you doing just waking u-?" there yell was cut off by her hands. They tried to claw their way free.

"Ow, quit that!" she said in a whisper. "Don't yell, you'll wake the Hypotensive Demon Lord!" she let them free.

"Wait, what?" they both whispered.

"Why is Kyouya-senpai in your bedroom?" Hikaru whispered.

"I think why is he still asleep is the better question here." Kaoru face-palmed.

"Yeah, stop asking those kinds of questions, Hikaru!" Kirro whispered. "Now, again, why are you two in my living room?"

"Oh, yeah, we nearly forgot." they grinned their feline grins.

Hikaru pulled a little black book from his hoodie, "Well, we were bored..."

"...and looking for something to do."

"When we went to visit Kyouya-senpai..."

"...and realized he wasn't in his room." Kaoru held up a finger. "Which was when Hikaru realized..."

"...that the last time we had retrieved this book failed horribly thanks to your plan, Kirro-senpai." he teased. "But good effort on your part this time."

"Wait, you mean that's..." Kirro eyed the book suspiciously after giving him her glare.

"The one and only." Kaoru explained, examining the book as well.

"It's funny, Kaoru, I thought you weren't interested in this kind of thing." she stuck her tongue out at him. "I guess you're a cool kid after all."

"I'm not interested in this at all really." he shrugged. "I just thought 'Why not?'"

"Sure, sure." she patted his back. "Have you opened it yet?"

"No, but I'm about to." Hikaru grinned with her.

"You two can be idiots some times." Kaoru chuckled. "And I thought you were different, Kirro-senpai."

"I never said I was." she poked his chest. "Plus, I'm just as curious as you are."

"I'm not that curious, you know."

"Then why are you still here?" Hikaru and Kirro said in a weird moment of unison.

Kaoru gave up, looking over Hikaru's shoulder as he opened the cover.

'It's...'

"Notes?" all three of them said in a weirder moment of unison.

"Of course." Kaoru chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

"Here he had me thinking it would be mysterious." Kirro rolled her eyes with a smile.

"It's kind of a let down, huh?" Hikaru was leafing through the pages. "Stuff from class, equations, bills and stuff, and there's a few things about the Host Club and some of the clients...but, that's about it."

Kirro was finding it hard not to laugh, "What's was I thinking it could have been? I feel so stupid."

"See? Ths is why I stayed out of it." Kaoru added.

"Fine. Where'd you find it, boys? I'll put it back and you guys can leave so you don't wake him and get us all in trouble with the Shadow King." she laughed, taking the book from Hikaru's hands.

"It was in his bedside drawer." Kaoru said, heading out the door.

"We need to find something more entertaining." Hikaru sighed. "See ya, Kirro-senpai."

She waved them out, walking through the door that connected her apartment with Kyouya's. But as she went to close the door, she dropped the book, and it landed opened.

"Of course I would have to drop it." she picked it up.

Something caught her eye.

A line on that page that read, 'An arranged marriage in this day and age sounds strange, but it does make things interesting. And, especially since it's Alona, I can't say I really mind. I wonder what she would say if she knew? And I wonder how long it will take her to fall for me?'

She was stricken speechless for a moment, she sighed, 'Men, so arrogant, but, 'especially if it's Alona I can't say I really mind.', hm?'

She rolled her eyes, replaced the book, got back to her bedroom and laid back down next to a still sleeping Kyouya.

"What are you doing up so early?" he asked irritably.

"It's almost eleven, you're the one that's sleeping like the dead." she chuckled.

"Is it so wrong to catch up on sleep during vacation?" he asked, refusing to open his eyes.

"No, go back to sleep." she said, kissing his chest.

Without a word, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. Easily drifting off again.

.Scene Change

When the doors were opened, there was a sparkling New Year's party scene.

"Um, I think somebody got a little overzealous with the decorating." Kirro smiled as she walked through the door to Tamaki's apartment.

"Well, I have to admit, it wasn't all Tamaki-senpai this time." Haruhi laughed. "I think I fueled the fire by buying way too many decorations. There was a sale and I couldn't resist."

"It certainly makes the event more festive." Kyouya chuckled.

Sparkling garlands and flimsy shining stars lined the walls and tables and most surfaces really, shining in all different colors. And there were about one-thousand-and-one banners that read, 'Happy New Year!' in neon colors.

"Kyouya! Kirro!" Tamaki lept up, he seemed to be tangled in some of the garlands himself. "I just finished decorating, what do you think?" he grinned.

"Very...bright." Kirro told him.

"Over the top." Kyouya smirked at Tamaki, who proceeded to sulk in the corner.

"Almost everyone's here, Takashi~!" Hani announced from Mori's shoulders.

"Almost." Mori agreed.

"Wait, it's already eleven, are the Twins running late this time?" Kirro asked Haruhi.

"That's odd." Kyouya pushed up his glasses. "They're usually the ones who are punishing people for not being somewhere on time."

"Please tell me they're not up to something." Kirro groaned.

"Who knows?" Kyouya chuckled.

"They better behave themselves, this is a party I'm hosting and, as King, I won't allow mischeif!" Tamaki stood up, declaring this to no one in particular.

"Maybe they're just honestly running late~?" Hani grinned.

"Hopefully, Hani-senpai."

About that time there was a knock at the door, and when Haruhi opened it, there stood the Twins with their doppelganger grins.

'Speak of the little devils and they shall appear.'

"Ah, we were just wondering where you were." Kyouya raised an eyebrow.

"It was you two who were late this time, Hika-chan, Kao-chan~!" Hani hopped down onto the floor.

"Eh, we lost track of time what can I say?" Hikaru shrugged it off.

"So it took us a little longer to get ready." Kaoru explained.

'Sure, sure, that's what they say now.' Kirro chuckled, she was going to have to keep an eye on those two.

All-in-all, it actually was a great party. And the Twins really were behaving. They watched fireworks and thought up New Year's resolutions and they watched the Times Square crystal ball drop, counting down the until the New Year.

"...3...2...1..."

"Happy New Year~!"

Kirro wasn't even able to say it, as she was pulled into a kiss, she could feel Kyouya's smile on her lips. And then she could feel ice cold water.

And then she realized the Twins had water guns. And that not only had she and Kyouya been sprayed, but also Haruhi and Tamaki.

The Twins grinned, "You were right, Hikaru, this party was going in 'that direction'." Kaoru held up his gun.

"It's okay since we brought these to cool it down, Kaoru." Hikaru brandished his gun.

Tamaki stood up in full anger mode, "I can't believe you two, I'm soaked!" he screeched.

Kirro was the second to react with, "Hikaru, Kaoru, I'm giving you five seconds to run." she hopped up off the coach, counting down quickly.

"Hey, no fair, that wasn't five seconds!" the Twins exited the room laughing so hard that tears were coming out of their eyes.

Despite the trick, Kirro was beaming. She had no idea how they were able to hide the fact that they had ice water guns on them, but it was kind of funny.

Tamaki was following them as well, patronizing the brothers the whole way.

"Tamaki-senpai, Kirro-senpai! Where are you going?" Haruhi tried to stop them as they ran down the hallway of the apartment complex.

"Let them go, Haruhi, don't you want to see who gets who first?" Kyouya grinned.

"Should we follow them~?" Hani asked, clutching Usa-chan.

"Yeah." Mori answered, heading down the hallway.

"I think they're heading outside." Haruhi sighed.

"I'll grab my coat." Kyouya mused. "And a towel." he raised an eyebrow, running a hand through his wet hair. "I suggest you do the same, Haruhi."

As Kirro was running she told Tamaki, "Split up! You get Hikaru, I'll get Kaoru!"

"Roger!" Tamaki saluted, enjoying the chase.

They exited the apartment complex, into the snowy midnight. Dark, but, illuminated by the snow reflecting the light of the moon and the stars.

"You get back here, you can't run from me!" King announced leaping over a pile of snow, after Hikaru.

She saw Kaoru straight ahead, a little ways off.

"You too, Kaoru, you'll pay for what you did!" she pointed to him with determination.

He stuck his tongue out at her, "You couldn't catch me if you tried, Kirro-senpai!" he teased.

She bolted off after him, jumping through the rather thick snow.

After about ten minutes of chasing she had finally gotten the advantage by climbing a pile of snow and diving onto Kaoru, toppling him into the snow.

"I'm going to bury you alive!" she declared, covering him with snow, "We'll have to thaw you out in the Spring!"

By the time everyone else came outside they found Tamaki announcing victory over a snowball pelted Hikaru and Kirro sitting on top of a mound of snow, the only part of Kaoru that was uncovered was his head.

She grinned in satisfaction, "Cold, Kaoru?"

"Yeah, now get me out." he glared at her.

"Fine, fine, just be glad I buried you in snow and not mud."

.Scene Change.

"Kirro, you're freezing." Kyouya sighed.

"Yeah, I guess being soaked in icy water and then running out to play in the snow isn't a very good idea." Kirro chuckled as she closed her door, having just said goodbye to everyone.

"C'mon, let's get you in the shower." he smirked, pulling her along.

"As long as it's nice and hot." she sighed.

"Granted." he grinned.

She would have said that that wasn't what she meant but instead she just rolled her eyes and began getting out of her wet clothes.


End file.
